Chapter 504 - 234: Tearing
After leaving Harrisburg, Leo went straight back to Pittsburgh.
In the Mayor’s Office, Leo sat behind his desk, holding the telephone receiver.
He was about to make a crucial phone call.
A call to Ron Smith.
The call connected.
"Ron."
Leo’s voice was steady.
"It’s Leo."
"Are you ready?"
It was a simple question.
But in this context, it was a signal—the signal they had agreed upon with the other mayors back in Pittsburgh’s Conference Room One.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
Then came the sound of a lighter striking, followed by a deep inhale.
Ron Smith’s voice came through, laced with obvious hesitation.
"Leo."
"Do we really have to go this far?"
Smith asked from the other end of the line.
"You know what this means. Once we do this, there’s no turning back."
"The workers are already exhausted. They just got their paychecks and have had a few days of peace."
Smith paused.
"A lot of mayors have been calling me. Joe from Scranton, the guys from Johnston... they’re worried."
"They’re afraid that if the situation gets out of control, the State Government will cut off all funding. They’re afraid it’ll ruin their cities’ economies."
"Can we... do this another way?"
"Do we have to do it like this?"
Leo listened to Smith’s complaints.
He understood their fear.
For the leaders of these cities, who had only just seen a glimmer of hope for revival, no one wanted to take such a risk right now.
They wanted stability. They wanted to protect what they had gained.
But Leo couldn’t let them stop.
Monroe couldn’t withstand that much pressure in the State Senate by himself.
He needed artillery support from the outside.
"Ron," Leo’s voice turned cold. "I think you’re mistaken about one thing."
"I’m not calling to ask for your opinion."
"I’m informing you."
The breathing on the other end of the line grew heavier.
Leo continued.
"You’re worried about the economy? Worried about funding?"
"You should be more worried about something else."
"Right now, you’re not just the Mayor of Erie; you’re a member of the Industrial Revival Alliance. You’ve benefited from the orders the Alliance brought in. Your city is settling payments with Pittsburgh’s scrip."
"We are at war."
Leo’s tone was forceful.
"On the battlefield, there’s no room for negotiation."
"If you back down now, if you pull your people out..."
"...then all our previous agreements, all the financial support, will be null and void overnight."
"Pittsburgh will cut off all orders to Erie."
"And I’ll move the logistics and distribution centers that were meant for you to Ohio."
"Have you thought this through?"
It was a naked threat.
Smith was silent on the other end for a long time.
"Leo, you’re ruthless."
Smith sighed.
"Thank you for the compliment," Leo said, his face impassive.
"But, Leo, there’s something I have to tell you."
"This isn’t a matter of us being cowards."
Smith lowered his voice.
"Last night, someone contacted us."
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
"People from Washington."
Smith replied.
"The Democratic National Committee."
"What did they say?" Leo asked.
"They approached Joe, and they approached me."
Smith said slowly.
"They made an offer."
"As long as we leave this so-called Industrial Revival Alliance, the Federal Government will directly provide our cities with a special development fund."
"The money would be transferred directly from the Treasury Department to our municipal accounts."
"And they promised to give all of us mayors preferential resources from within the party in our future reelection campaigns."
Smith paused, seeming to wait for Leo’s reaction.
"They said you’re a dangerous element, that following you will only lead us into a ditch."
"They’ve given us a way out."
Listening to Smith, Leo’s face remained expressionless.
Clearly, Stern had made his move.
It was a vicious move.
He was pulling the rug out from under him.
He knew Leo’s power came from this Alliance, from his consolidation of these lower-tier cities.
So he bypassed Leo and went straight to buying off his allies.
He exploited the greed and fear of these city mayors.
Direct funding, political resources.
It was a tangible temptation.
Compared to taking a risk with Leo and fighting against big capital, taking the Federation’s money for a stable life was clearly more appealing.
Leo didn’t feel anger, just a cold, knowing sneer.
After weighing the pros and cons, Stern still didn’t believe Leo would actually go through with some kind of administrative decoupling, didn’t believe he had the guts to actually split Pennsylvania.
In that chief of staff’s eyes, Leo’s words were nothing more than a gambler’s bluff.
’He thinks you don’t have the guts.’
Roosevelt’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind.
’When a politician’s threats are ignored, he only has two choices.’
’Either he gives up and admits his weakness—but from then on, no one will ever take his demands seriously again. He’ll become a complete joke.’
’Or...’
Roosevelt’s voice grew deeper.
’...he has to follow through on his threat. Show these people what he’s capable of. Let them know the consequences of angering a true beast.’
Leo’s expression was grim. Ron Smith had told him about this.
It was a signal.
If Smith truly intended to accept Washington’s offer, he wouldn’t have needed to say anything. He could have just announced his withdrawal from the Alliance tomorrow morning and waited for his reward.
But he had said something.
That meant he was wavering.
Or rather, he was negotiating his price.
This was extortion from an ally.
Leo was well aware of this.
In an alliance bound by mutual interest, there was no absolute loyalty, only a continuous escalation of deals.
"Ron."
Leo began to speak.
"Washington’s check sounds very tempting."
"But do you believe it?"
"Do you believe those bureaucrats will actually give you the money?"
"They’re coming to you now because I’m here, because I’ve made you valuable."
"The moment I fall and this Alliance disbands..."
"...in their eyes, you’ll be nothing but a pile of worthless junk."
"They’ll toss you aside like garbage, just like they have for the past few decades."
"That so-called special fund will vanish without a trace in a maze of bureaucratic approvals."
"You’ve been a mayor for so many years; you should know how Washington operates better than I do."
"The only real power is the power you hold in your own hands."
"The only real thing is the self-sustaining system we build for ourselves."
Smith knew that, of course. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to tell Leo about it.
But he needed a more direct promise from Leo, a tangible benefit that would outweigh Washington’s empty promise.
"Leo, I understand all that,"
Smith said.
"But my people need to eat, and Washington is offering cash on the barrel."
"If you want us to risk our necks, you have to show us something worth more than ready cash."
"Fine,"
Leo said.
"Ron, listen to me."
"As long as you cooperate with me this time, I’ll give you a promise."
"Once the Mutual Aid Alliance is established, I will push to set up the medical supply distribution center for Northern Pennsylvania in Erie."
"All pharmaceutical logistics will pass through your port and your trucking fleets."
"This means you will become the pharmaceutical distributor for the entire northern region."
"The profits from this business will be ten times more than that little bit of federal funding."
"And it’ll be a long-term, stable business that you control."
Leo stared at the phone as if he were staring directly at Ron Smith himself.
"Ron, do you want to take a one-time hush money payment and go back to being a beggar?"
"Or do you want to buy in and become a partner in this vast medical Empire?"
"The choice is yours."
This was the most sincerity Leo could offer.
He had carved off a piece of the future map of interests and handed it to Ron.
Heavy breathing came from the other end of the line.
Smith was calculating.
A pharmaceutical distribution center.
That was a huge piece of the pie.
If it really could be built, Erie’s economic structure would be fundamentally transformed. This was far more tempting than Washington’s handout.
"...Are you sure?" Smith’s voice was trembling slightly.
"I’m sure," Leo replied. "I’ll have Ethan draft the contract and send it to you tomorrow."
"Done!"
Smith slammed his hand down, sealing the deal.
"Leo, I’m with you."
"We’ll do it."
Leo breathed a sigh of relief.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Ron."
"But you alone aren’t enough," Leo added. "I need the voice of the entire Alliance."
"I’ve already given you a big enough stake. I’ve given Erie the orders it needs most, making you the biggest beneficiary in this Alliance besides me."
"Now, it’s your turn to work for me."
"You need to convince the rest of them."
"As for what interests you trade with them, how you divide the pie, that’s your business."
"I only care about the result."
"Remember, what we want is momentum. Pressure."
"Make Harrisburg hear our voice."
"Understood," Smith replied.
The call ended, and Leo placed the receiver back on its cradle.
His palms were a little damp.
In those last few minutes, he had been walking on a cliff’s edge.
If Smith had sided with Washington, his entire plan would have collapsed.
But he had convinced Smith.
He had used greater greed to defeat greed.
’Mr. President,’ Leo said in his heart, ’Politicians really are unreliable.’
’They have no credibility, no bottom line.’
’He wants to dismantle my Alliance, to turn me into a general with no army.’
’But he underestimated my resolve.’
Roosevelt’s voice rang out.
’That is the nature of Washington, Leo.’
’Don’t hold any illusions about them.’
’Don’t think that just because you’ve signed a paper and shaken hands, they are your friends.’
’In that circle, betrayal is the norm.’
’Stern doing this shows that he’s afraid.’
’He’s afraid of you getting too powerful, afraid of you actually controlling Pennsylvania.’
’So he’ll use any means necessary to bring you down.’
’But this time, he failed.’
’You did the right thing.’
’Instead of defending a fortress that could be breached at any moment, it’s better to turn the fortress into everyone’s treasury.’
’As long as everyone is making money, no one will betray you.’
’Now, your Alliance is more stable than ever before.’
Leo stood up and walked to the window.
All the preparations were complete.
Now, only the final step remained.
And the most critical one.
He cast his gaze in the direction of Philadelphia.
’Mr. President,’ Leo said in his heart, ’it’s time.’
’I’m about to begin my American Dream.’