America 1919

Many influential figures had come to watch the fight of the century.

Among them was Albert Furr, the current Secretary of the Interior!

This time, he came to Boise City firstly to watch the match, and secondly, to tell Donnie that the issue of the small oil well drilling rights around the three major oil fields had been settled!

"Those people were indeed reluctant to do so at the beginning, but after my lobbying and effort, they finally agreed to let you join!"

Sitting on the sofa in the hotel suite, Albert Furr said with a smile on his face.

Although knowing Albert Furr was deliberately taking credit, Donnie still expressed his gratitude, "I am naturally aware of that, if it weren't for your help, Albert, it would have been impossible for me to accomplish this!"

Albert Furr laughed heartily and waved his hand modestly, "It's what I should do, since the two of us are friends. All of this is for the sake of our friendship, isn't it!"

As a gesture of reciprocity, Donnie said, "As a friend, I think there's something I ought to tell you!"

Albert Furr asked curiously, "What is it?"

Donnie said, "I spoke with Jack Dempsey earlier, and he's in great shape!"

Albert Furr's eyes lit up. Some things don't need to be spelled out; with just this sentence, Albert Furr understood Donnie's implication that all the previous reports of Jack Dempsey's injuries were fake, and that in this match, Jack Dempsey was going to win!

And now, with the odds of Jack Dempsey's victory at 1:3, knowing the outcome in advance, there would be no problem betting and winning money!

"Haha, I've always been a fan of Jack Dempsey, it looks like I won't have to worry this time!"

"Albert, there's something I hope to continue to have your help with!" Donnie calmly stated.

Albert Furr showed a hint of wariness. The previous favor Donnie asked for was to contest with the Oil Consortium; now that he's asking again, could it be that Donnie had another big move in mind?

"What do you mean, Donnie?"

Donnie smiled and said, "Well, you know, I don't have many friends in American politics, and Albert, you are already my best friend. Another good friend of mine has also come to Boise City. I set up a dinner for him tonight, but I didn't expect you to come today as well, so I was thinking, since we are all friends, why not sit together?"

Albert Furr let out a sigh of relief, feeling that he had guessed Donnie's intention. Donnie wanted to use him to elevate his own influence, which was not too difficult a request.

"Haha, and here I was wondering what it was. Your friends are naturally my friends, too. It's better when more people come together. Donnie, you are too cautious. We are already friends, why would I mind such a trivial matter!" Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Donnie appeared to breathe a sigh of relief and laughed, "If that's the case, then that's wonderful!"

"By the way, who is this friend of yours?" Albert Furr asked in a somewhat condescending manner.

Donnie said, "The Representative for Ohio, Robert Taft!"

Albert Furr's expression changed slightly. That Donnie had connections with the Roosevelt family had already surprised him, but now he had learned that Donnie was also friends with someone from the Taft family.

If we're talking about the hierarchy of positions, Albert Furr, as the Secretary of the Interior, obviously has a higher status than a State Representative from Ohio.

But the American political system is different from the East; in terms of actual authority, they are not subordinates to each other, meaning Albert Furr has no power to command Robert Taft.

Moreover, Robert Taft, being the eldest son of the Taft family, had already made clear his route into politics, meaning the Presidency was his ultimate goal!

And the Secretary of the Interior position was effectively the highest position Albert Furr could hope to attain.

"So it's Robert, then there is even less of a problem. I'm already quite friendly with Robert, and it's only right for us to sit together and have a good talk. By the way, where is he now?"

.

Walker and Maholi, who were planning their engagement, also arrived in Boise City to watch this century's boxing match!

At that moment, Donnie was congratulating them, "When Walker came to send the invitations, I thought I might not see Miss Post until the engagement day. I didn't expect us to meet so soon!"

Maholi elegantly smiled and said, "When I was in New York, I kept hearing about you from Walker, so naturally, I had to come over to cheer for the event you organized!"

Walker spoke casually, "Donnie, let's not stand on ceremony between us. I know there must be plenty of people coming to Boise City these few days, so you don't have to worry about us. Just let us make our own arrangements!"

Donnie gave Walker a disdainful glance. "Do you really think I came here to take care of you?" He smiled at Maholi and asked, "Miss Post, I've heard about the issues with the southern farms from Walker, but I believe you must have a deeper understanding of that matter. So, I'd like to ask Miss Post, if my farm were to encounter the kind of situation Walker mentioned, what should I do?"

Walker had previously talked to Donnie about the African American uprising on the southern farms. Though at the time, Donnie seemed to not take it very seriously, in truth the issue had been weighing on his mind. Maholi's company owned extensive farmland in the South as well as having partners there, and in this matter, Donnie believed Maholi had more insight than Walker.

Upon hearing it was a serious matter, Maholi also pondered for a moment, then spoke earnestly, "The greed of those black people is endless. My advice is to absolutely not compromise with them. Otherwise, they will definitely take a mile if given an inch, and it will become even more troublesome later on, just like what happened to Henry Hickman!"

Donnie nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking too, but what if those people really start causing trouble? How should I resolve the issue then?"

Maholi replied, "If it's just your personal farm that's causing the trouble, actually, it's quite easy to deal with. These people are a bunch of ingrates; if you show weakness before them, they will surely rise up and attack you, tearing you to pieces. But if you're strong enough, they are just a group of obedient, domesticated dogs.

The real trouble is when these people band together with others from different farms to cause disturbances. If that's the case, then you need to ally with other farm owners to suppress them!"

"Suppression" was definitely not a gentle persuasion; it was meant to suggest physical force.

When Maholi spoke these words, she didn't seem to find anything inappropriate about them.

Donnie didn't find anything inappropriate either and laughed, "I understand. If there's a full-scale uprising, I'll need Miss Post's help even more!"

Donnie had no connections in the South and had no means of uniting with other farm owners, but Maholi was different. Her family could be said to be one of the major farm owners in the South, so in this case, Donnie just needed to follow Maholi's lead!

"Of course!" Maholi said affectionately, glancing at Walker and smiling in response.

"Donnie, you didn't treat those black people like that in Atlantic City!" Walker teased Donnie.

Donnie spread his hands indifferently and smiled, "The black people in the South can't provide me with votes!"

After the laughter, Donnie brought up the second reason he had come to see them.

"Theodore Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Ross, have also arrived in Boise City. You know I've been particularly busy lately, so I hope you can help me host them," he said.

"No problem!" Walker didn't think much of it and readily agreed to Donnie's request.

However, as Donnie's close friend, Walker knew Donnie very well. After agreeing to Donnie's request, he glanced at Donnie's expression and knew that Donnie likely had more to say, which he hadn't mentioned yet.

The reason he hadn't spoken directly was probably because of Maholi's presence.

So Walker told Maholi he needed to take a walk with Donnie, and Maholi didn't ask further. Then, Donnie and Walker left the hotel suite.

"What is it that needs to be discussed outside, away from Maholi?" Walker took a cigarette out of his jacket pocket, offered one to Donnie, and the two sat in the hotel lobby's cafe.

Donnie took the cigarette, smiling as he said, "Robert Taft has also come to Boise City!"

Walker stopped his attempt to light the cigarette, looked at Donnie in amazement, and then exclaimed, "You're playing with fire! How can those two show up at the same time?"

Donnie leaned back in his chair, and said helplessly, "Do you think I'd be so foolish as to let them appear at the same time?"

"What about the girls' thoughts?" Walker naturally knew about Alice and Helen's situation.

Although Helen and Alice had acted as if they had arranged the event, Donnie knew that this event was not really connected with them—mainly because the promotion of the century's boxing match was too successful, and also because his own status continued to rise.

Therefore, both the Roosevelt Family and the Taft Family, in actuality, were hoping to establish a better alliance with him!

That's why they had come to Boise City.

"It's no use talking about that now. The biggest problem is to prevent them from meeting each other; otherwise, it could lead to great trouble. As you know, I don't like trouble!"

Walker chuckled, "You don't like trouble, yet you always manage to create it!"

After the tease, Walker said, "Even if I act on your behalf to entertain Theodore, with the current situation, they're bound to meet!"

Donnie revealed a sly smile and said, "If the two of them live a life in Boise City where they wake up to drink, and drink until they fall asleep again, do you think they still have a chance to meet?"

Walker: "...."