Resign

July 7, 1901.

Mr. Van der Linde's army finally arrived in Florida in full force.

Without any battle, Florida was completely reclaimed by Mr. Van der Linde.

The former Governor of Florida, Mr. Miami, was imprisoned, awaiting transport back to the American West for labor reform.

Mr. Miami himself could not believe such a result.

Dutch Van der Linde was simply too benevolent!

As is well known, political struggles are often cruel, involving massacres at worst and killings at best.

Yet Dutch Van der Linde did not kill anyone; no matter how heinous the crime, they would be pardoned by Mr. Van der Linde and then sent to the mines for labor reform.

Of course, the severity of the crime was linked to the labor reform process.

Those with severe crimes, such as vicious murderers, could not enjoy the good treatment of Mr. Van der Linde; these individuals would be chained and forced to work fourteen hours a day without interruption, each with a dedicated supervisor holding a gun behind them for mandatory oversight. Any disobedience would result in physical punishment, including but not limited to whipping, finger cutting, burning, or being hung on a tree to dry.

Although food was plentiful, these people would never have a chance to leave; they could only work for Mr. Van der Linde until death.

After all, they were all laborers, and Mr. Van der Linde truly couldn't bear to abandon any of his property!

As for dignitaries like Mr. Miami, they would undergo a process of crime identification and multiple screenings. After this, the severity of their crimes would be determined. Those with overly severe crimes would be thrown into maximum-security prisons to be enslaved until death.

Those with minor crimes would have all their property confiscated, undergo several years of labor reform, and then be able to continue working for Mr. Van der Linde, given a way to live.

But even so, Van der Linde was indeed a truly benevolent person.

July 10, 1901.

Florida's 300,000 troops were completely taken over by Mr. Van der Linde's forces.

Some of them would continue to serve in the military, with their salaries increased to thirty dollars per month. These individuals were either without family or wanted to seize the opportunity to achieve great things. For those unwilling to continue serving, Mr. Van der Linde would also relocate them to the newly developed New Austin or West Elizabeth to start a new life.

Florida itself was also fully incorporated into Mr. Van der Linde's dominion, accepting his absolute leadership and management.

The first priority was to reorganize Florida's asset distribution, bringing all large enterprises and factories into Mr. Van der Linde's nationalization system. The original owners, if innocent, could become shareholders and receive dividends, or take the dollars given by Mr. Van der Linde as compensation and find a train station to leave Florida.

Although this practice might sound inhumane, as it was essentially forced seizure of property, in reality, it was already quite benevolent.

In this era, when capitalist tycoons or powerful figures wanted to annex you, they wouldn't leave you with so much property and capital. In fact, there were countless examples of entire families dying mysteriously soon after their businesses grew. Mr. Van der Linde's actions were already extremely conscientious.

Furthermore, in this era, anyone who could make a business grow had to have some blood or sin on their hands, as this was an era rampant with crime. To rise in such an era, you first had to immerse yourself in crime.

It was already quite remarkable that Mr. Van der Linde didn't have them all shot.

There was no other way; if excessive wealth flowed back into private hands, the Van Der Linde Government would eventually revert to the old capitalist path.

Although he knew that due to human nature, even the best system would eventually face collapse, a solid foundation meant the people's good days would last longer. This was Mr. Van der Linde's sincere love for his people!

Florida was engulfed in a carnival of liberation.

Meanwhile, the new United States Federal Government in Ohio, in the American East, finally received news from Ohio.

This was unavoidable. First, Ohio was too far away, and message transmission took too long.

Second, all of Ohio had rebelled, so it was already good that any news could leak out; how could one expect real-time updates?

In fact, even the few spy teams sent out to gather information had already come forward and surrendered to Mr. Van der Linde, as working for Mr. Van der Linde paid more than being a spy. Why be a spy then!

At this moment, in the new United States Congress building in Ohio.

As the successor to the Eastern Government, even in these difficult times, the Empire State Building had to showcase its magnificent grandeur.

While a not-so-developed city in Ohio could meet the new government's office needs, it could not satisfy the strength and heritage of a nation.

Therefore, even though the American soldiers' salaries had not yet been fully disbursed, the new Congress building had already been approved for construction and was currently in the building phase. Thus, the new government was still housed in Ohio's former state government building.

In contrast, Mr. Van der Linde still used the Saint Denis state government building and lived in the mansions left behind by the former powerful figures, a stark difference that was evident.

Theodore Roosevelt sat behind a mahogany table, frowning as he looked at the strategic deployment map laid out before him.

Theodore Roosevelt was not an unknown person, nor was he merely famous in name. In fact, his distinguished family background broadened his horizons and provided him with an excellent education, ultimately making him a pivotal President.

Although he still had shortcomings compared to Mr. Van der Linde, this gap was in their perspectives. Mr. Van der Linde was a sufficiently magnanimous person, while he carried a certain capitalist narrowness.

But this did not mean Theodore was mediocre. In fact, his intelligence was far superior to that of an average person.

"Mr. President, news from Florida has arrived!" Just as Mr. Roosevelt was looking at the war planning layout on the table, his secretary walked in, her face grim and even showing a hint of panic.

"Oh? What's the result? Did the Western soldiers completely collapse? Hahaha, I said it back then, Dutch Van der Linde might have the ability to incite people, but when those he incited face the threat of death, this so-called firm belief will be like a bubble, vulnerable!"

"People whose minds can be easily swayed will be easily swayed in any situation. This is the fundamental reason for Dutch Van der Linde's defeat!"

"Alas, short-sighted. I think our focus should be on Europe, especially since the German Second Reich Empire actually produced a terrifying steel war vehicle! The true strong enemies, it seems, are still these Europeans!" Theodore's analysis of the West was very thorough.

Just as he said, people whose thoughts can be easily swayed will also be easily swayed by other issues. However, Mr. Dutch Van der Linde not only swayed thoughts but also did ideological work. If even 'Boom Beach' couldn't withstand this, how could Theodore withstand it!

"They've all surrendered, Mr. President. Our 300,000 soldiers didn't even see a single Van Der Linde Government soldier; they rebelled themselves! Now they've all pledged allegiance to the Van Der Linde Government!" The panic and sorrow on the female secretary's face almost overflowed.

And her clear words were like a sledgehammer, striking Theodore Roosevelt's heart.

The office fell into silence.

After a long silence, Mr. Theodore finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "What was the first thing you said when you came in?"

"Mr. President, you..."

"I resign!"