Mediterranean hegemon

ps: Please give me a monthly ticket. If it exceeds 1,200, I will give it another try in the evening...

See you on Monday, September 16th!

When the morning light disperses the last traces of darkness, New York is bathed in the sunshine of freedom.

But for the American people crowded at the entrances of Union Bank branches, they have no way of caring about whether the sun is strong or warm today, whether the weather is sunny or will change. They can only wait anxiously for the opening of Union Bank at 8:30. At that moment, the crowd stretched their necks like countless ducks looking forward to the moment when the feed was released.

On Friday night, Union Bank issued a statement: It will be closed for one day on Sunday for rectification and will reopen on Monday. If necessary, it will be open 24 hours a day. This has caused great concern among the public: although it is normal for banks not to be open on Sundays, the word "rectification" is very unexpected. Fix what? Why the sudden rectification?

At noon on Sunday, countless gossips began to spread: the Federal Reserve issued a serious statement, naming Union Bank and saying that there had been a large amount of capital outflows, and asking depositors and other stakeholders to pay attention to protecting their rights and interests. Although the news did not appear in the Sunday newspapers due to scheduling reasons, the developed media industry and faster radio stations have spread the entire news widely. The radio host on Sunday night even went against the norm and began to seriously analyze the Union Bank incident in a program that was supposed to discuss social life. The people invited were also scholars with many connections to Wall Street or well-known investors.

"Mr. Bob, what do you think of Union Bank's statement and the Fed's tit-for-tat statement?"

"It's a complicated matter, and the version I heard is this: the Fed's draft statement was disclosed first, then there was the Union Bank statement, and today we saw the Fed's formal statement."

“You mean the Fed comes first?”

"No, no, no... the president goes first... the president calls some people in the Fed stupid."

The host laughed loudly: "Okay, let's not talk about who comes first and who comes last. Please analyze it from a professional point of view. Is there any problem here? If not, how will it end? If there is, how big will it be?"

"It's hard to say..." Bob considered his words, appearing careful and cautious. He could not afford to offend either the Federal Reserve or the Union Bank. Needless to say, the Fed was a quasi-official institution, and he had seen the prestige of the Union Bank. Yes, how could he, a mere nobody, dare to challenge a CEO with a swarm of bodyguards? Wouldn’t that make him impatient?

But hesitating is not enough. This is a good opportunity for him to make a name for himself, so he took a deep breath and said: "It's really hard to judge whether United Bank can withstand it. It depends on how powerful the people's motivation is to withdraw money." Personally, I cannot jump to conclusions without seeing clear numbers and scenes, but one thing is clear. If you are worried about your deposits, withdraw them as soon as possible on Monday, Union Bank said There is a limit of US$1,000 per person, and I think this is enough for most people.”

"There are still some listeners calling who want to hear news about the stock market. What do you think of the market outlook?"

"As for the stock market, I think it is certain that there will be some twists and turns on Monday... If you feel that it is not safe, you can sell it first and wait and see, especially for those stocks that have risen too much in the early stage. It is recommended to take advantage of it first. Of course, I am very optimistic about the U.S. The stock market is still optimistic in the long term. The stock market experienced sharp declines in November last year and March this year. Later, it recovered the lost ground and created higher points each time. Those investors who are afraid of risks unfortunately lost the opportunity to continue to get on the bus. Opportunities may even have to be forced to chase highs, so if a gold pit can be created this week, I believe it will be a rare entry opportunity. Aggressive investors can enter after a rebound, and conservative investors can Come back after the situation is completely calm..."

"Thank you! Then we'll see you on Monday!"

"See you on Monday!"

On Sunday afternoon, Contini actually received several phone calls, all from senior figures in major financial groups, urging him not to have a stalemate with the Federal Reserve. If necessary, they could provide mediation opportunities, even at night. Invited him to have a drink with Fed officials, but Contini declined the offer, speaking in a polite but cold tone: "I personally reviewed the statement of the United Group spokesperson, and I've had enough!" Now everyone has nothing to say. The first point of the statement is that the Federal Reserve cannot do it.

Someone also called the Italian ambassador and asked him to persuade Contini. The latter waved his hands in shame: "Persuade him? What should I do to persuade him? In Italy, God is the boss, Mussolini is the second child, and he is the third child." , his father Ciano's words sometimes didn't work. Who would he listen to? Did you know that the Italian Socialist Party annoyed him, and he eventually uprooted the old party that had produced 3 prime ministers and more than 20 ministers? The political party was finally beaten to the point of being unable to fight back, and now it is said that it is barely able to gather 200 party members... The Federal Reserve is really not taken seriously by him, and I don't want to get in trouble. "

"Where did he get his great ability?"

"He has money."

"Can you deal with political parties if you have money?"

"No, no, no, you don't understand how rich he is. He stipulates that he will not do business with any company that has members of the Socialist Party, and he will not do business with any bank that provides account transactions for companies of Socialist Party members, and he does not allow employees of the United Group to do business with these banks..." The ambassador sighed, "On the surface, it seems that it is enough not to do business with the United Group, but you have to know that the entire Italian heavy industry system is all involved in the United Group. If you want to avoid the United Group, you have to avoid the entire industrial chain. Tell me, is it easier to avoid the Socialist Party or the entire industrial chain?"

"It seems that money can really do whatever you want."

Although the ambassador did not go to offend, these words were later revealed and passed to Contini's ears. 13 days later, the ambassador received an order to dismiss and return to Rome. The reason was very simple, that he had reached the age limit. But an insider told him that there was only one real crime: ****!

Banning the Socialist Party is the established strategy of the fascists. The president is just an executor. As an ambassador stationed abroad, you cannot maintain a high degree of consistency with the party, cannot understand the intentions of the leaders, cannot consciously implement the party's line, principles and policies, and you can make arbitrary comments on the central government's major policies. What's the use of you? Of course, you can only stand aside. At least no other responsibilities have been pursued. You are simply retired.

This episode is just a small wave with the upcoming capital frenzy...

Countless people are waiting for Monday to come, and Contini is no exception. He said that he would stay at the headquarters of the United Bank of America, so he didn't stay in a high-end hotel at all.

Did he really take command on the spot to respond in time to prevent accidents? Of course there is this consideration, but more importantly, it is for safety. The United Bank of America headquarters is a newly built building, with a very solid concrete defense layer. The embedded armored steel happened to be the armored steel that was withdrawn from the old battleships when the United Empire dismantled them, and all of it was used in these places. A total of 2 battleships and side armor belts were consumed, and the standard is that the French Miss 75 is only good for scratching, and the American 155 howitzer can't penetrate it at all.

The entire United Bank building is 12 stories high and 3 stories underground. It seems inconspicuous in Manhattan with tall buildings, but only those who really understand fortifications can see the power of the United Bank of America headquarters. The surrounding land is all the ancillary buildings or podiums of the United Group's subordinate systems, including the United House, United Trust, United Newspaper, etc. All gathered here, with a standard mother-and-child bunker + central bunker pattern. The windows full of ancient Roman style can be turned into excellent Browning heavy machine gun firing holes with a little modification. If the light and heavy firepower is poured out, the whole block will be under control.

The wide asphalt road in the middle is just right for running tanks and armored vehicles. Behind a fake wall is a heavy equipment storage, which can be pushed open and escaped in an emergency. Some explosives are buried in the foundations of the side buildings next to it. Once the tank escapes, these buildings will explode and form ruins to block the pursuers.

In short, this building has taken into account the needs of armed robbery in 1929 since its construction. Otherwise, why is it so strange and expensive? Contini believes that it can only be destroyed by accurate hits with railway guns, naval guns or bombs above 203mm or more. If these weapons are used in the United States, the probability of the destruction of the United States is probably similar. So he confidently said the word "impregnable", but he miscalculated this point. His old friend Hoffman has done this, more than once! So never underestimate human imagination and destructive power.

The surface buildings are so strong, not to mention the underground vaults. The surrounding walls are all piled up with side armor belts. Not to mention explosives, even 305mm naval guns can't penetrate! A large amount of food, water and other necessities had been stored in the bank according to Contini's request. Not only Contini was in the bank, but all bodyguards, guards and even people related to the United Group were in the bank.

However, except for Contini and Francesco who had special rooms, others were given sleeping bags to spend the night. In an emergency, extraordinary measures can only be taken.

In the underground warehouse of the headquarters, there were a row of tanks and armored vehicles parked neatly. These were used to break out of the siege at a critical moment. Contini had already inquired about it. At present, the United States has no weapons that can stop the M1 United tank, unless anti-tank defenses are deployed in advance, but there is no need to worry about it. It can be bombarded by naval guns! If the 305mm shells really fall on Wall Street, it goes without saying where the US stock market will fall.

"Open the door!"

As the big iron door of the United Bank slowly opened, countless people poured into the business hall. On the surface, the door of the United Bank was opened, but in fact, it opened the door to the abyss!

The Union Bank opened half an hour earlier than the stock market. Looking at the crowd of people, Contini nodded to Livermore and uttered one word: "attak!"