Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 199 A Grand and Spectacular Event
Has Arsu already organized a team to cause trouble?

Should we pressure the courts to exert pressure on its legitimacy?

How can we get those so-called "entrepreneurs" to unite and exert economic pressure?

Milton almost laughed. He sat up straight, dusted himself off, and said to Veronica, who had come to report, "What do we do? I remember something similar happened when I was in Mexico. We do what we do there, and we do what we do here."

"It's just a different person, a different identity, but the essence is still the same."

"Let Arsu and those who colluded with him understand one thing—what is lost on the battlefield can never be regained elsewhere."

Veronica thought for a moment, then cautiously reminded her, "Boss, the biggest problem is that some of the protesters are foreign investors. If they go too far, won't it worsen the investment environment?"

Milton shook his head; "What kind of legitimate business could a 'company' that would jump up and down because of my arrival be running? Casinos? Loan sharks? Or shady brokers running shady deals to the US-Mexico border? This kind of foreign investment has absolutely no technological content, and it doesn't even have a reason to exist."

Many countries have indeed experienced a loss of technical personnel, production disruptions, and complete industrial abandonment due to the rash and indiscriminate confiscation of foreign assets.

But Milton was different; he had done his research thoroughly.

For example, when the war broke out, many of the various businesses in Champelli Port were indeed thinking of fleeing this place of conflict as soon as possible.

But once they discovered that as long as they did business well and paid taxes to the new government on time, the business environment was even better than before, these people eagerly came back.

Veronica nodded slightly: "Indeed... Many entrepreneurs in Port Champelli originally wanted to sell their assets at a low price and run away, but now they have all come back. Not only do they not mention running away, but they also spread the word about your tax reduction achievements and laugh at those who ran away too early."

“Tax cuts?” Milton frowned. “Didn’t I raise taxes?”

“On the surface it’s an increase in taxes, but in reality it’s a reduction,” Veronica said with a smile. “There are two aspects. First, the tax law you introduced is very simple and clear. Anyone who can read and do simple arithmetic can understand it.”

"The old tax law, while not particularly sophisticated, was so complex that it practically pushed the 'art of language' to its limits. Without professional lawyers and accountants, it was simply impossible to understand it. And professional legal and accounting teams are themselves a huge expense."

"Secondly... After you collect the taxes, you have nothing else to do. When Lopez ruled here, how much did it take after paying the taxes? Not to mention giving money to Lopez, even his subordinates' appetites were not easy to satisfy."

"They are no different from gangsters who collect protection money, except that they disdain collecting such meager sums from the slums."

Milton shrugged: "That just goes to show that we don't need to be soft on these so-called corporations and foreign investment when it comes to dealing with them—they seem very powerful and provide a lot of help to the economy, but in fact, it's just a number that's not working."

"Forcibly adding a step of hiring a lawyer and accountant to calculate taxes may indeed make the economic data on paper look better, but it is completely meaningless."

"No wonder the court was the first to jump up in anger; it turns out I was blocking their path to wealth."

Veronica understood that Milton planned to use violence to suppress them, and she nodded, saying, "Boss, what methods do you plan to use to deal with these people?"

There are two types of violence: one is to fight directly, and the other is to send a special forces team to assassinate.

Milton didn't even hesitate: "I heard that Lopez even drove tanks into the streets to bombard those who refused to vote for him, and even blew up his competitors in the process? If Lopez did that, how can I fall behind?"

"Moreover, we have a rather special connection with this court—when we had just taken Malacan, wasn't it here that Police Chief Pedro came to be on trial?"

"We disguised ourselves as a news helicopter, flew directly to the courthouse, and set Pedro on fire, burning him to death. Remember that?"

Veronica certainly remembered the scene—when Pedro struggled to shout "Milton" before being burned alive, it truly shocked everyone sitting in front of the television at the time.

That was your breakthrough battle.

“Perfect.” Milton stood up. “I already disliked those judges, and now they’ve come to haunt me. I’ll take them down with them.”

"I've only ever heard of poor people rebelling, never of merchants causing chaos."

"The court declared my ruling illegal?"

"I fucking declare the court's ruling illegal!"

……

San Marcos.

As the capital of a province, this city is no longer as vibrant as it used to be; instead, it is in chaos and turmoil.

The news that the government forces had suffered a crushing defeat in the decisive battle with the rebels, and that their massive armored convoy had been almost completely annihilated, had already been spread throughout the country under Milton and Olya's deliberate manipulation.

Even though some people on Lopez's side were trying to manipulate public opinion and suppress the matter, the collapse of the front line was something that no propaganda master could reverse.

The most direct consequence of this was that the garrison defending San Marcos collapsed from within before Milton could even launch an attack.

Nonsense, if they can't even get their pay, who's going to fight for Lopez?
If someone dies, are they supposed to go to Milton for a pension?

The city, which was originally planned to take at least a week to capture, was taken over by Milton without bloodshed—of course, only through military control.

Because the war started too suddenly and López's defeat was too quick and unexpected, many powerful locals didn't even have time to escape or sell their assets for cash before the city completely fell.

The most terrifying thing is that these officials and businessmen found themselves with nowhere to run.

With the airspace closed, taking the land route was even more ridiculous, as one of the four directions led to rebel-held territory, two to Milton's territory, and the last to Lopez's stronghold, Quetzaltenango.

You'll die no matter where you go.

So, they finally united.

At that moment, in the San Marcos provincial council, a member of parliament was angrily shouting from his seat: "The monster from Malacan has now brought the rebels to our doorstep!"

"No one can stop him. It's a disgrace, a disgrace!"

“Mr. Councilor, please rest assured.” In the council, a man in a suit pushed up his glasses and said, “This city does not welcome him. Milton will find it difficult to move forward in any way he takes here.”

"He will be surprised to find that no matter what orders he gives, they cannot be carried out in the end."

"He will find that as soon as he sets foot in this city, hostility comes from all directions!"

"Just like the Soviet Union's ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan, military victories are nothing to brag about!"

“If Milton dares to rob our legal assets here, the economy here will regress by a hundred years. At that time, Milton may even have to slink us back.”

"..."

After the man finished speaking, loud applause erupted from the audience.

"well said!"

"Gandhi could use nonviolent non-cooperation, and so can we. Milton has the guts to massacre the city; let's see if he has the courage!"

The cheers in the parliament grew louder and louder.

Suddenly, a security guard rushed in from outside, his voice tinged with fear.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!"

"Milton's tanks have set off from the barracks and are heading towards the city!"

The previously noisy council fell silent in an instant.

The man still standing on the stage secretly wiped away a cold sweat and forced a smile: "Well then, esteemed gentlemen, I'll head back now. Rest assured, within a day at most, our alliance will be able to come up with a plan—an economic plan that can put deep pressure on Milton!"

After saying that, he quickly stepped down from the stage and hurriedly walked towards the door of the parliament building.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say more, but he had heard about Milton's massacre of the council in Tapachula, and he really didn't dare to stay in such a place for long.

He said nice things on stage, but in reality, he was just trying to appease these people—what economic pressure? It was all an act!

They were eager to compromise in exchange for Milton's cooperation.

After leaving the parliament, the man quickly got into his car and urged the driver in the front seat, "Hurry, hurry up, let's go to our restaurant first to see how things are going, and then we need to get to the court right away!"

The driver paused for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Polk, no, aren't we going to the government building?"

Polk was a little angry: "Why go to the government building? All those idiots there have already run away. They were just Lopez's puppets anyway. Now that Lopez is down, what value do they have left? The most important thing is to make a statement to these idiot congressmen, get a document from the court, and see if you can use it to pretend to be a law-abiding businessman and protect your assets from Milton. Do you understand?"

“I’ve carefully analyzed Milton’s style of doing things, and it’s completely different from what’s being portrayed here. As long as you don’t oppose him, he’s very unlikely to actually use force against you!”

"You really believe that bastard Arsu and are planning to help him against Milton?"

"Are you kidding me? You saw how many tanks Lopez had and still couldn't beat Milton. You want me to fight him? I'm not stupid!"

The female secretary sitting next to him said with a hint of sympathy, "But, all your businesses..."

"Let's save our lives first, then we can talk about anything else," Polk sneered. "Right now, the most important thing is to deal with the aftermath."

"Let me tell you, don't be fooled by my apparent huge losses. It might not be so bad in the end. If handled well, this war could very well be our chance to make a fortune!"

The secretary quickly asked, "Why?"

"Hehe... During this period, I used the food and money I had stockpiled to buy a large amount of assets at very, very low prices." Polk said this with great pride. "You know, there was a food shortage a while ago, and people were so hungry that they had to sell anything! The best deal I ever made was that I even traded a few loaves of bread for a very nice shop—and the shopkeeper's wife, hahahahaha!"

“I’ve analyzed it carefully. Milton is far more capable than that good-for-nothing Lopez, both militarily and economically.”

"After the war, the economy will definitely stabilize. Can't I just rent out these assets that I bought at low prices again at high prices?" "And from now on, my business will be completely legal!"

"It's like the assets I acquired under the previous government through various connections and illegal means have been laundered into legal assets under the next government!"

"Tell me, isn't this a chance to make a fortune?"

“Only a fool would listen to Arsu and fight Milton to the end… I came here to make money, not to get involved in their ridiculous political games.”

"Anyway, we shouldn't offend either side. We just need to please whoever is in that position."

"Hehe... Let me tell you, Milton used so many troops to fight to the death, so many people died, and spent so much time to take this city, and in the end, the profits he got might not even be as much as mine!"

The secretary finally understood: "I see! You're so smart!"

Ten minutes later, the car sped to a hotel that was quite nice in size but in a rather remote location.

At this time, the streets were full of hungry homeless people. Some were huddled in corners in a daze, while others simply lay on the ground.

Seeing such a luxury car approaching, many homeless people couldn't help but move closer, hoping to beg for some food or a job.

The armed bodyguard immediately raised his gun and shouted at the homeless men to get out of the way!

The security guards at the hotel entrance quickly surrounded them and escorted their boss inside the restaurant.

The homeless men could only stop and watch in despair as the hotel doors were closed.

They were separated by only a wall, yet it felt like they were in a completely different world.

As soon as Polk arrived on the second floor, countless people walked around carrying food, seemingly serving the hotel guests.

This is Polk's largest industry—providing a wide variety of services to officials, including men and women of all ages, and a wide range of psychotropic drugs.

And casinos that have been specially rigged to ensure officials have a great time.

Polk made a lot of money through these industries.

"Have you taken care of all those people?" Polk picked up an ice-cold Coca-Cola and took a satisfying sip. "And all that stuff, wash it all away. Milton is a madman; he sees drugs like they're his enemies. We absolutely can't let him find a single trace of them!"

"Unfortunately, those officials were very careful... otherwise I wouldn't mind sharing with Milton just how lewd these high-ranking judges are in bed!"

"Don't worry, it's all taken care of!" A tavern guard who looked to be of high rank stepped forward. "Those who didn't obey were chopped into mincemeat and flushed down the toilet. Even if Milton were Sherlock Holmes, he wouldn't find a single piece of evidence."

“Great, once the casino’s legal documents are issued, I’ll be a legitimate businessman… Those damn judges, trying to control me, refused to issue me the documents no matter what. But unexpectedly, after Milton arrived, they rushed to issue them to me.”

"Hahaha... They don't know yet that I have no intention of cooperating with them against Milton at all."

Before Polk could finish laughing, a man suddenly rushed up from downstairs and hurried toward them.

Polk glanced at him, smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and straightened his clothes: "Don't rush, take your time. I'm fully prepared. In the end, whoever wins, we'll all be winners."

"Look at those gentlemen eating inside. They're all prominent local businessmen, and they're not worried. Why are you?"

The man shook his head hastily and said, "Milton has already entered the city, and the first thing he did was to have the local big 'entrepreneurs' come to see him."

"Ha... so eager to get to the city?" Polk scoffed. "This country bumpkin's probably bankrupted himself in the war, huh? No problem, even if he goes bankrupt, we'll make a fortune. Here's what we'll do: have Milton come over here so we can discuss this in detail."

“Just say that the outside is too dirty and messy, and the environment is not good.”

"Please invite him to come here as a guest."

The man in charge of liaison nodded quickly: "Yes!"

Polk turned and went to the restaurant, addressing the people who were enjoying their meal: “Gentlemen, Milton will be coming to our restaurant soon… He’s a barbarian, but that’s alright, we can give him the respect he deserves.”

"Of course, you all shouldn't lower your stance too much. You must let Milton know that cooperating with us is good for everyone. If you don't cooperate with us, many people will lose their jobs, we will lose a lot of money, and the already collapsing economy will become even more depressed... Don't forget, many of you are foreigners."

“As foreigners who bring money to invest locally, we should enjoy some special treatment.”

"He is a ruler who comes and goes, but we are the capitalists who remain forever!"

"Has everyone dealt with their assets? Destroy those that can't be laundered, and have you obtained the necessary documents for those that can be laundered?"

The diners smiled and nodded: "Of course... They're all about to fall from power, they'd love to sell us as many documents as possible, they'd even be willing to help us falsify the dates."

The entrepreneurs chatted and laughed until one of them, sitting by the window, exclaimed with a slightly exaggerated tone, "Look! Our victor is driving his tanks, carrying his spoils, to his loyal city of San Marcos!"

Polk straightened his clothes: "I'll go greet him myself. Everyone else, put down your guns and hide them. We must make sure to show our sincerity and friendship."

As he spoke, he and several bodyguards walked downstairs and pushed open the door of the restaurant.

As soon as he opened the door, Polk saw a military pickup truck carrying several large stainless steel pots parked on the street not far away. Several soldiers hung up a banner that read "Relief Station" and then picked up bowls to scoop out porridge.

At the same time, they called on the homeless people in the vicinity to come and line up to receive the gifts.

Polk hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and smiling at an officer, saying, "Hello, sir..."

"Get back!" The officer coldly shoved Polk aside. "The rest of you, get in. Make sure the area is safe, control all possible ambush points where gunmen might be hiding, and if you encounter anyone carrying a weapon, shoot them without warning."

"Roger that!"

The remaining soldiers immediately split into groups and quickly occupied every building in the vicinity.

Several gunshots were also heard during the incident.

Polk's expression changed. He wanted to explain that those were his bodyguards, but after thinking about it, he gave up on the idea.

Only after all the surrounding buildings had been reported safe did the officer report something via radio.

A few minutes later, an armored convoy drove up from behind.

The man, who was known to everyone, at least in Guatemala, was wearing a military uniform and jumped out of the car.

As he walked over, Milton had a hint of approval on his face, seemingly quite satisfied with Polk's attitude.

However, upon getting closer, Polk felt himself being scrutinized from head to toe, and then Milton's expression immediately turned strange.

Without thinking too much, Polk quickly smiled and said, "Respected 'Hell Tax Collector' sir, welcome to the absolutely loyal city of Saint Marcos. Please come in, please come in."

Milton stared at the person in front of him, and after a long pause, he managed to say with a forced compliment, "You actually didn't run away; that's commendable courage."

This man's crimes were enough to warrant a thousand cuts, yet he still dared to come and see me. Milton couldn't find any other word to praise him except for his commendable courage.

Are capitalists these days so fearless of death?

"Of course I won't run away!" Polk thought to himself with a slight contempt for Milton, then laughed, "I'm a legitimate businessman, all my businesses are legal and documented! You're a reasonable person, I believe we can cooperate in the future!"

“Legal?” Milton almost laughed in anger. “How is it legal? Who said it’s legal? Who issued the document? Show it to me.”

“Hey…you know, this godforsaken place, the courts and judges are incredibly inefficient. They won’t do anything without money!” Polk’s lies came out of his mouth like he was fooling a fool, “The documents are already in court, but they’re just trying to blackmail me, that’s why they haven’t issued them yet. Now that you’re here, I believe this kind of thing will never happen again.”

Milton nodded slightly and turned to look at Flora: "Very good. Take him with you and bring him to court. I want to see how his business is legal."

"Everyone else, seal off this restaurant, control everyone inside, and execute any who resist on the spot."

"Search this place upside down! Even if everything is reduced to powder and flushed down the drain, search the septic tank!"

"Come on, I want to see just how legal your business really is."

Polk was stunned by Milton's sudden hostility; he was practically forcibly carried onto the armored vehicle!

What's going on? We agreed that you don't hit a smiling face.
It wasn't until he was put into the car, handcuffed, and driven for a while that Polk came to his senses.

“‘Hellish tax collector,’ what do you mean by that? Is this how you treat a friendly merchant?”

Milton shook his head and muttered to Flora, "Look, this is what happens when someone is about to die; he probably still thinks he's smart."

Facing imminent death?!
“Sir Milton Mings!” Polk finally panicked. “I’m a foreigner, I’m Colombian. What are you trying to do? Do you know how much business I have? Do you know how many people I know? Executing me so casually, do you know how serious the economic damage will be?!”

"So many people will lose their jobs because of your impulsiveness, and you will be hated by the entire city!"

"And another thing... this could potentially cause a diplomatic incident."

"You'd better think carefully about what the rational course of action is!"

Milton looked at the San Marcos Court of Appeals, which he had seen from a distance in the helicopter, and slowly replied, "What to do? Make it a grand affair."

"Tanks, drive them in!"

P.S.: I'd like to see how long this pain will last, it's incredible.

(End of this chapter)