Rise of the Argentine Empire

The matters of Maria Town had come to a conclusion. The militia was fully staffed and responsible for patrols, fire prevention, and security throughout Maria Town.

The dispatched police station's workload was also shared, and overall, they were doing a good job, effectively supplementing Maria Town's defense system.

Most of Maria Town's residents praised the new militia, considering the town's police department had fewer than ten people, operating at the level of a sheriff in the American Wild West, unable to accomplish much.

The preparation for the second squad of the Thunder Cross Security Company was also completed, with six new intelligence personnel trained to handle intelligence operations in Maria Town.

Oran City had achieved a smooth transition, with Guerrero establishing a firm foothold, recruiting a new batch of support personnel, and significantly expanding production by recruiting workers from the villages to produce more minerals.

Kruse, who performed well in the Potassium Triangle, had returned to Maria Town while escorting potassium chloride, bringing back a team of over ten people.

These personnel were integrated into the second squad, and Kruse became the new head of the Viper Two team.

Leibrecht Kruse was a Gaucho with Latin blood, steady and hardworking, adept at learning and reflecting, capable in tough battles, and a graduate of a border high school.

He wasn't particularly burly, and his appearance was unremarkable; you could easily overlook him if he stood before you.

After two years of military service and six months of discharge, he was proficient in firearms, combat command, and intelligence gathering. He was among the first squad leaders promoted by Saint-Hesse when he was with the City Guard.

Regarding the militia, since Saint-Hesse wouldn't be returning to Maria Town in the short term, he informed Mayor Cavo that he would remain the militia company commander, with Kruse as his deputy, tasked with training the three hundred-plus militiamen and recruiting promising individuals into the Thunder Cross.

A militia training ground had been established within the town, while Black River Valley remained Thunder Cross's training ground, responsible for safeguarding important supplies.

…

With time to spare, Saint-Hesse drove to a high-end clothing store in the city, intending to buy a couple of new suits, as his old clothes were no longer wearable.

With the recommendation of a female shop assistant, Saint-Hesse selected several outfits and tried them on one by one.

"Sir, this outfit you're wearing is really perfect for you!" The female shop assistant's eyes lit up.

Saint-Hesse also looked in the fitting room mirror and felt that this outfit was indeed quite suitable, without any discomfort, and the cut was very decent and generous.

In the mirror, he saw himself with black hair and eyes, his skin slightly tanned, but his whole person exuded a healthy aura.

Apart from his long, uncut hair and the beard he had grown, his entire being emanated a very special charm; he was quite handsome.

The female shop assistant couldn't help but praise him, saying he was a typical clothes hanger, looking slim in clothes and muscular without them, and that this male customer was too handsome and charismatic.

"Then pack up all these sets and have them put in my car later."

"Okay, sir, here's my business card. Feel free to call me when you're free."

As he was leaving, she handed Saint-Hesse her business card: Selena Solotu, a nice-sounding name, and the girl also had a delicate and charming demeanor.

He then went to a high-end store in the city to select some gifts as a congratulatory present for tomorrow.

The Bauhinia Apartment was the same as ever, with Ilena having gone to Bu City and the door tightly closed.

Saint-Hesse opened the door to his rented house, which was still empty, with a layer of dust accumulated. He would stay here for a few more days before preparing to go to the capital for school.

After tidying up and cleaning the house thoroughly, throwing away all the unnecessary items, Saint-Hesse planned to buy the house.

After all, Ke City was the place where he had stayed the longest. Now that the National Housing Bank had sufficient loans, he would find someone to get a loan, or, if necessary, ask Cthulhu Kate of the Harian Agency to buy it outright.

Saint-Hesse changed his clothes and called Cain Trues, the commander's secretary, to say that he had arrived in Ke City and would arrive on time tomorrow.

A few days ago, Secretary Trues called Saint-Hesse, inviting him to attend a gathering at the commander's house tomorrow.

The commander had asked Saint-Hesse to visit his home long ago, but it had never happened, and he felt somewhat guilty, as the commander had helped him a lot.

…

The next day, in the morning, after a simple breakfast,

he looked through the various newspapers of the day but found no valuable information. In the morning, he read some books to preview legal knowledge.

He then walked to a barbershop in the city to get a new haircut and shave his beard. The city's security was good, with fewer idlers, and the last crackdown on gangs had some effect.

He went home and took a hot shower.

The weather was cooler today, and there was a light rain last night, leaving some places on the road occasionally wet.

After lunch, he took a short nap at home and set off at two o'clock in the afternoon, arriving at the commander's house at three o'clock, wearing the new clothes he had bought yesterday.

The weather outside was cool, overcast, and fine, with occasional sunlight shining on the ground.

Saint-Hesse took his keys, got into his car, loaded the gifts,

and arrived at the western suburbs of Ke City according to the address. This was a large villa area for the city's wealthy, and it was his first time here.

After parking the car outside the villa, he arrived at the iron gate of the commander's villa, pressed the doorbell, and several soldiers in military uniforms checked Saint-Hesse's documents before carefully comparing them and letting him through.

"God, this guy is only nineteen years old. I wonder which family he's from. He came alone without a driver. It's the first time I've seen someone come to the commander's house like this."

"Damn, I hate pretty boys who are better-looking than me the most,"

"Come on, you're just envious and jealous,"

"…"

Immediately, a servant led Saint-Hesse through a small garden, lawn, and green space, planted with some unknown trees that looked very expensive. After walking for half a minute, they arrived at the commander's house.

This was a two-story large villa, estimated to cover two thousand square meters. It was particularly large, and the exterior decoration was relatively simple. Saint-Hesse felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, truly witnessing the residences of these powerful figures.

Saint-Hesse thought, 'Why do these people build such big villas? Aren't they empty and unsettling?' But after seeing the layers of sentries inside the villa and the dozens of servants, Saint-Hesse felt he was thinking too much. This was life!

In comparison, Saint-Hesse felt he was too simple, but money should be spent where it matters.

The interior of the villa was also particularly elegant and grand. Saint-Hesse saw Commander Thompson sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, wearing a pair of glasses.

"Commander, I've come to see you." Saint-Hesse took off his suit jacket, and a servant took it from him.

"Ah, it's Little Hesse, welcome, welcome. My son has gone to the south for vacation, otherwise, I could have introduced you. The things you've done in the past six months are remarkable."

Thompson took off his glasses, stood up, came to Saint-Hesse, and gave him a big hug.

"Haha, Commander, you flatter me too much. What I've done is just trivial."

"Come sit over here and let's chat," Thompson Jr. said, pulling Saint-Herse by the hand towards a wooden sofa.

Saint-Herse carefully examined the sofa. It seemed to be made of redwood, truly extravagant. Damn!

Saint-Herse was very grateful to the Commander and hurried to his right side, and the two engaged in a casual conversation.

While they were chatting,

people continued to arrive at the Commander's mansion,

mostly unfamiliar minor figures. The Commander didn't stand up, and they left their gifts and departed. Commander Thompson Jr. also didn't stand up, simply instructing a servant to collect the gifts.

After waiting for a while, finally, a more significant figure arrived.

It was Johnson Hall, the head of the Justice Party in Ke City, representing the party branch sent by the Biró government, bringing a bottle of high-end tequila as a gift.

Hall wore a quintessential English gentleman's hat and a suit coat, exuding style and confidence.

Lexie Thomas, the head of the Socialist Party, was an inconspicuous figure in Bu City. After the Socialist Party split, it never regained its former glory and is now a small party. In Ke City, however, this Socialist Party member still had some influence, being the third-largest party in Ke City.

His hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a white suit, bringing a bottle of ordinary wine.

John and Cena, the chief leaders of the Ke Province Federation of Trade Unions, were also representatives of the new forces in Ke City and, along with the head of the Justice Party, were considered Biró's representatives in Ke City.

The trade union forces in Ke City were not strong, and the labor force was weak, unable to compare with the Biró government's base. They hastily ended a few strike farces after being warned by local forces, and have been relatively obedient since.

They brought a piece of art as a gift. Saint-Herse didn't expect Thompson Jr. to have such a wide circle of friends. Those who came were basically the major forces in Ke City. No wonder Commander Thompson Jr. was able to firmly control the city's garrison, now reorganized into the 9th Brigade.

The head of the Radical Civic Union in Ke City, as the second-largest party in the country, also had considerable prestige.

This leader was not old, only in his thirties, with a simple mustache and a long, kind face, short, stocky auburn hair, and a well-tailored swallowtail coat. His hair was neatly styled in a slicked-back fashion.

Thompson Jr. made a point of introducing him to Saint-Herse, saying he was a staunch supporter of his. The two shook hands in greeting.

The new mayor of Ke City, a member of the Justice Party, was from the local Holder family. His name was Ryan Holder, and he had served as a town mayor in the province for many years. Like Kovo, after former Mayor Pirand was forced to step down, Holder "successfully ran" and took office.

He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, making him an older "alumnus" of Saint-Herse.

It must be mentioned that former Councillor Thompson was stripped of his councillor status by the Senate due to alleged involvement in the "Byrd Brotherhood" incident and had already left Ke City in disgrace.

The head of the Klein family, an old acquaintance of Saint-Herse, controlled the Ke City Commercial Bank, the Ke City Insurance Company, and the Klein Foundation.

Abel Klein, Saint-Herse's former drinking buddy, was from this family. They hadn't seen each other in over half a year. Saint-Herse used to have a good relationship with him, and Saint-Herse was fleeced of a lot of money.

The head of the Halls family, who owned Halls Real Estate, the largest real estate development company in Ke City, the largest single ranch, 50,000 acres of farmland, and a large number of other assets.

Together with the Holder family, these three families were the three traditional, established families in Ke City, having ruled Córdoba Province for a century, involved in transportation, finance, banking, large ranches, large farms, and other industries. They were true wealthy families and still wielded great influence.

The Abraham family and others also sent people over. This was a rising Jewish family, whose Deputy Director of the Police Department used to be one of their own, but he had been removed from his position and held some grudges against Saint-Herse.

There were also several emerging industrial capitalist families, some with factories, some mining, etc. Saint-Herse wasn't afraid of them, after all, his assets had already begun to jump towards the fifty million dollar mark.

These guys were considered good if they had ten million or so. Unknowingly, Saint-Herse's assets were already at the top in Ke City. Although they couldn't compare with the big families in Bu City and Rosario, they were already in the top five in Ke City.

There were also the three battalion commanders of the infantry regiment, Thompson Jr.'s most important subordinates, wearing neat military uniforms. Saint-Herse had only seen them when he became an instructor and attended meetings, and once at an awards ceremony.

Chief of Staff Eureka, an old acquaintance, was also present, and Saint-Herse shook hands with him, but they didn't talk much. Saint-Herse didn't know what he could talk to him about.

Almost all those who came were prominent figures and celebrities in the city, from the political and economic circles.

Some left after giving their gifts, which was considered giving face.

Saint-Herse introduced them one by one. Most of them were people Commander Thompson was on good terms with. If they were particularly close, he would have them greet and get to know each other so they could ask for help if needed in the future.

This reminded Saint-Herse of the Akrara Hotel last year, when Saint-Herse first came into contact with Commander Thompson. Under Commander Thompson's protection, his business had developed so safely.

Now Saint-Herse could be considered a new rich man in the city. If his family hadn't been wiped out, perhaps he could call himself a member of the Cohen family.

By this time, most of the guests had taken their seats, some on the redwood sofas, some on chairs, talking about the early autumn weather this year, and the drought this year, occasionally cracking a small joke.

The atmosphere was great…

The door of the Commander's house opened again, and the servant brought in a person. It was Bishop Wegman of Ke Province, a tall, fat old gentleman, about fifty years old.

He was wearing a purple robe, a cross around his neck, white powder on his black hair, with a slight smile, and a pair of bright gray-black eyes on his light yellow face.

This purple-robed bishop was the last to arrive, and Commander Thompson Jr. personally went out to greet him.

The bishop held a bottle of fine wine in his hand.

"Barton, congratulations on your promotion. I was delayed just now at the church dealing with some matters from the Pope."

"Wegman, welcome. The latecomer is always the most honored guest."

Thompson Jr. smiled and warmly embraced Bishop Wegman.

In Argentine religions, the Catholic Church is the most powerful force, followed by the Evangelical and Neo-Protestant factions. 87% of Argentines are Catholics, and the Church deeply influences the country.

The purple-robed bishops in Argentina generally oversee the church activities of a province and are stationed in the provincial capital, Córdoba. The chief bishop of Argentina is the cardinal, who oversees the church of a country. The church forces in Argentina are very strong and have an impact on all levels of society, politics, and economy.

Moreover, as the most traditional Pope, they are completely different from the New Protestant and Eastern Orthodox churches, which have been baptized by the iron fists of Anglo-American capitalism and Soviet socialism. They adhere to the strictest church books and control the spiritual world of Argentines.

As Brother Gangdan said, the Pope has several divisions. The American Empire is not afraid of the Roman Curia at all and directly sent troops to surround the Pope's location, and finally, they obediently handed over the murderer.

Saint-Herse didn't have any good feelings for the Church, but of course, he wouldn't be stupid enough to show it.