In fact, Li Mu has never been a supporter of Hayes. Li Mu supported Ulysses Grant for the second re-election. In the end, Li Mu chose Hayes without any choice.

At that time, Li Mu never expected that Hayes would be so unique after becoming president. If everything could be expected at that time, Li Mu would rather support James Brian.

At least James Brian would not cause so much trouble for Li Mu.

Two days later, Li Mu returned to Washington and visited Rutherford Hayes at the Presidential Palace that night.

Hayes, who had just become president, no longer had the fear of his original anger and was ready to show his strength and write his name in American history.

Hayes was not sure about Li Mu's purpose, and he thought Li Mu was for the Panama Canal, so when he saw Li Mu, he felt a mentality of "I finally proved myself."

"Control the Panama Canal is of great significance to us in the United States, not only at the economic level but also at the political level, but also at the American level. In a hundred years, all of us will no longer exist, and the Panama Canal will still be dazzling. It will be our most dazzling work in the world." Hayes talked endlessly when talking about the Panama Canal.

During Hayes's campaign for president, although Li Mu was nominally a partner of Hayes, the two had an ally relationship, and Hayes was the main one and Li Mu was the auxiliary one.

But in fact, during Hayes's campaign for president, Li Mu has always played a leading role, and Hayes only plays a cooperative role. Although this highlights the importance of Li Mu, it inevitably leaves a shadow in Hayes's heart.

Now Hayes has finally been elected president successfully, so Hayes's mentality is very complicated now, especially when facing Li Mu.

"So, this is the reason why you ask for 30% of the Panama Canal?" Li Mu did not give Hayes face and pointed out that Hayes's lion spoke up.

"I think this ratio is appropriate. Reim, I am the president of the United States now, so I have to think about the US government. I know that the federal government has been in a deficit over the years. I hope that this situation can be reversed during my term, so you have to support me, just like we did before." Hayes knew that her request was a bit too much, but there was a reason to be too much.

In the 21st century, the US government was overwhelmed by more and more debts and closed down at any time. In fact, this situation has begun since the 19th century. This is also the norm for the public sector in the United States today. Even local governments such as New York City, which are known as the richest, are operating in debt, so Washington needs to say.

This kind of thing is normal, and it is acceptable to all over the world. This is the so-called "officials do not build yamen".

When Arthur first served as mayor of New York City, he was also full of energy to eliminate the ills of the Tweed administration and make the financial situation of the New York City government reach a healthy state.

After Li Mu's guidance, Arthur finally gave up this idea. It turned out that Li Mu was correct. Arthur has now resigned from the position of mayor of New York City. The debt scale of the New York City government is larger than during the time of Twider's administration, but no one accused Arthur of embezzlement and waste.

The same is true for Hayes. After all, Hayes' term of office is only four years. It is still a matter of whether Hayes can successfully stay in office after four years. So it is useless to think too much now. Do what you have to do first.

This is also a common problem of elected governments. Term of office determines that government leaders cannot have a long-term vision. They can only live in the present and do not need to consider the future. Naturally, future government leaders are worried about it.

"Why do you have to think so long? No one of us knows what will happen in the future now, but what I can be sure of is that the Panama Canal will definitely not be completed within four years, so even if the Panama Canal will provide huge profits to the US government in the future, what does it have to do with you?" Li Mu did not beat around the bush. Everyone's time is quite precious, and it is better to put everything on the surface.

"What you said is indeed true, but we can't ignore it just because the future is too far away. You Chinese are popular sayings that people have no long-term plans and will have immediate worries, so I cannot make too many concessions on this issue." Hayes' attitude was very firm, completely beyond Li Mu's expectations.

"Since you understand what this sentence means, you should understand that if you insist on getting 30% of the shares, you will not only lose your future, but also the present." Li Mu told Hayes bluntly that even if you become president, you will not be able to do whatever you want.

Don't underestimate 10% of the shares, worth more than hundreds of millions of dollars. The construction of the Panama Canal mainly relies on raising funds from the society, so there are not many shares that can be used as bargaining chips. The US government needs 10% more, and Li Mu and his group of tycoons will make 10% less. Even if Li Mu agrees, Rockefeller and others will not agree.

"Why don't you agree? We are all for the United States. For a common ideal, money is very important, but we cannot buy everything. For a strong United States, each of us must contribute." Hayes probably didn't know that there is a word called Virgin Mary in the 21st century.

"If it is a voluntary contribution, that's good, but if it is forced, the contribution will lose its meaning. If you insist on getting ten percent more, it may cause unpredictable impacts. So we should all have a sense of responsibility, only take what we deserve, and only earn what we can within our ability." Li Mu was still a little heavy when he said this.

Although they have different ideas, Li Mu and Hayes had an intimate cooperation during the election for president.

In fact, Li Mu knew very well that with the change of status between the two parties, this intimate cooperation could not last forever. Although Li Mu hoped to maintain this relationship, Li Mu also knew that an ideal state was only an ideal state after all, and could never be truly realized.

Hearing Li Mu's words that were almost threatening, Hayes' expression was very ugly. For a full minute, Hayes didn't speak or move, but just stared at Li Mu silently, with both disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

"Sorry, I have to stand on the Panama Canal Company's standpoint." Li Mu was also a little sad. Perhaps this was the last time Li Mu opened his heart to Hayes, and it was the only time.

"Okay, I can understand. In fact, 20% is not unacceptable. Since you insist, then 20% is fine." Hayes finally compromised, but not to Li Mu, but to the huge class represented by Li Mu.

If you stand on the standpoint of the Panama Canal Company, then Li Mu represents all the bourgeois classes in the United States. After all, the Panama Canal Company concentrates almost all the rich people in the United States. If you go against the Panama Canal Company, it will be like going against all the rich people in the United States. No one can bear this result. The former President Ulysses Grant was not good, the current President Hayes is not good, and the future president is not good either.

Leaving the Presidential Palace, the convoy passed through Washington Square and arrived at the Ring Lake Avenue on the banks of Luoying Lake. Li Mu felt a little uncomfortable, so he asked Mason to park the car and prepare to take a walk back.

"Walk, okay, I just need to take a walk, too." Mason got out of the car with Li Mu, muttered casually, turned around and gestured to the convoy, and followed Li Mu not far or near.

A dozen gunmen got out of the car and spread out slowly, surrounding Li Mu. The convoy did not stay away. They simply stopped on the spot and were ready to deal with the accident at any time.

As he came to this era for a long time, Li Mu's "loss" became more and more. Since he had gradually become accustomed to eliminating his enemies from the physical level, he had to be on guard against the enemy's counterattack, so Li Mu did not let Mason and the others leave, if they did not affect Li Mu's walk.

The only person who is qualified to follow Li Mu is Chuxue.

Although Chuxue was not with Li Mu when he was talking to Hayes, and I don’t know what Li Mu and Hayes talked about specifically, judging from Li Mu’s expression when he walked out of Hayes’ office, Chuxue could probably tell that Li Mu was not in a good mood.

So it's rare, Chuxue said a little too much, and it's just some family trivial matters: "...Pan has four more children, and there are more and more dogs in the family. The day before yesterday, Will made a small car and used more than a dozen dogs to run. The second life was having a lot of fun... Wu Qi's temper is getting bigger and bigger. Except for my father, he doesn't let others touch it. He kicked the groom last week and had to take a walk when he has time. Staying in the horse booth for a long time is not good for his health... The body of the goddess of liberty has finally arrived. When we return to New York, it might have been assembled. The mayor's secretary called and talked about the observation deck. Standing on the observation deck, he couldn't directly see the inside of the governor's island..."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine..." Li Mu's mood finally felt relieved, patting Chuxue's hand that was still on Li Mu's arm, Li Mu's mood is full of warmth now.

Chuxue finally calmed down, smiled at Li Mu, snuggled gently on Li Mu's shoulder, and walked forward side by side with Li Mu.

Luoying Lake is extremely beautiful in early spring. April is the season for cherry blossoms to bloom. The waves are shimmering and the fragrance of flowers is everywhere. The Washington Municipal Government also specially installed street lights on the Huanhu Avenue, which makes the night view of Luoying Lake even more intoxicating.

As the only road in Washington with street lights installed, like the Fort Park in New York, Luoying Lake at night has become a scenic spot in Washington. Even people living in the distance will come to Luoying Lake for a long time to relax.

Seeing that there were more and more pedestrians, Mason and the others finally became nervous. Only then did Li Mu realize that more than 30 burly men were surrounded by him. Those men were full of vigilance when looking at people. One hand was always in their pockets, and their whole body was filled with information that no one could approach them.

In this case, taking a walk again would cause suffering, so Li Mu simply called over to the car and went home directly.

Coincidentally, in front of his home, Li Mu met Benjamin Harrison and his wife who had just returned from a walk.

Li Mu can still get a sense of tranquility near his home. Li Mu's home is located on a peninsula on the shore of Luoying Lake. There are only Li Mu and Benjamin Harrison's family living on the entire peninsula. When you see a checkpoint at the entrance, there is a striking "private territory, don't be invited to enter". You don't have to worry about others breaking in.

"Ha, you're back. I said the day before yesterday that you will definitely go back to Washington in the next two days." Benjamin Harrison's greetings were a bit annoying, full of leisure and leisure to watch the fire from the other side of the river.

Benjamin Harrison's wife is Carolin Scott, and she climbs up to the same name as the NPC in a certain game.

Like Benjamin Harrison, Carolin Scott also came from a famous family. When he met Li Mu, Carolin Scott nodded slightly to Li Mu politely, and did not take the initiative to say hello, showing good etiquette.

"Don't be proud, you will not encounter less trouble in the future than me." Li Mu and Benjamin Harrison would not be polite.

The relationship between Li Mu and Benjamin Harrison is much closer than that between Hayes. If the person sitting in the presidential position is Benjamin Harrison, then Li Mu doesn't need to come to Washington at all, and he can do it with a telegram.

Of course, if Benjamin Harrison was in the position of president, Benjamin Harrison would not have made such an excessive demand.

"Let's talk about the future, let's talk about the Panama Canal Company. If I want to participate in the shares now, would it be a little late?" Benjamin Harrison directly asked Li Mu without any hesitation.

"It must be too late for others, and they are not too late for you." Li Mu hoped to pull more people onto the Panama Canal Company's chariot. Anyway, everyone will take advantage, so it's better to share them with your own people.

The Panama Canal Company is a piece of fat meat. Everyone wants to come up and take a bite. This is understandable. If you don’t care for yourself, you will be punished by heaven and earth.

"Then I'll come to you tomorrow. I haven't moved a single dividend in the past two years. Go back and calculate how much it can be worth." Benjamin Harrison is not polite. In Cuba, Benjamin Harrison has tasted the sweetness of working with Li Mu. Now he only needs to continue this model.

"Don't look for me, my private accountant is here." Li Mu would not settle the score for Benjamin Harrison.

Chuxue was next to Li Mu, standing a little further back. Hearing Li Mu's words, Chuxue kept smiling and nodding slightly to Benjamin Harrison, which was considered to be acknowledging his identity.
Chapter completed!