After leaving the consul's office, Liu Jun went straight to the detention center and met old Charlie.
Old Charlie's mental state seemed to be pretty good. He seemed to know what was happening outside, and he was completely gone from the panic and helplessness of the previous two days.
"Old Charlie, how did you sleep last night?"
Liu Jun said hello casually.
Old Charlie shook his head with a smile: "I'm getting older. I only slept for less than three hours last night. If Chairman Liu didn't come to me, I would have been preparing to catch up on my sleep!"
"You actually have the heart to sleep, your union is about to fall out outside."
Liu Jun got straight to the point.
Old Charlie shrugged upon hearing this and pretended to be innocent: "Chairman Liu, this matter has nothing to do with me. Since I was arrested by you, I have cut off contact with the outside world."
"Haha, I really admire the organizational ability of your union. I didn't expect that even without you senior leaders, others could still come up with such a big battle. It's amazing!" Liu Jun said with sincerity.
Old Charlie suddenly looked proud: "Chairman Liu, you are wrong. It's not that we have strong organizational skills, but that we naturally belong to the righteous side. In your Daxia terms, this is what the people want."
"Justice? Old Charlie, please stop flattering yourself. The police department just investigated the financial information of your union. I don't need to say anything about the results, right?"
"Nothing is perfect in this world. We did not do well enough, but we can't hide our flaws. Did I use this idiom incorrectly? I can pat my chest and say that we are worthy of the dues paid by our workers."
Old Charlie said confidently.
But there is one thing that the other party is right about.
Over the years, the miners' wage standards have almost doubled, which is far beyond what the membership fees can match. Regardless of their stance, the miners' union has done a good job.
Liu Jun snorted coldly and immediately asked:
"Is your corruption still justified?"
"Chairman Liu, you are exaggerating when you say corruption. We just reimbursed some more daily expenses. In theory, this is not corruption." Old Charlie argued.
Liu Jun immediately posted a bunch of photos: "Good guys, you union managers have a richer life than me, the chairman.
Your extravagant spending is all the hard-earned money of the miners. If these things were made public, I am sure that every one of you morons would be drowned in spittle."
"Chairman Liu, I don't want to argue with you about this. You are busy, so if you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly."
Old Charlie is very clear-headed.
Liu Jun gave the other party an appreciative look and directly stated his purpose: "Old Charlie, I was entrusted by the consul to come and talk to you about the confession."
"Plead guilty? What crime do you admit?"
Old Charlie deliberately pretended to be confused.
"There are no outsiders here, so you don't need to be sloppy with me." Liu Jun paused and said seriously: "To tell you the truth, the consul's will is very firm. You should stop having unrealistic illusions and cooperate with the review. This is
Your only way to save yourself."
"Chairman Liu, since you said it so straightforwardly, I won't talk nonsense to you, as long as the consul can agree to my three conditions..."
"Stop!" Liu Jun interrupted directly, "Old Charlie, I think you still don't understand the situation! I'm not here to discuss with you, but to inform you on behalf of the consul that you can only agree\u0027 or
\u0027Reject\u0027 There is no third option."
Although old Charlie was very angry, he also knew that the situation was stronger than the people, so he could only suppress his anger and asked: "What are the conditions of the consul?"
"You bow your head and plead guilty, and close the case as soon as possible. After the storm subsides, the consul promises to pardon you and protect your legal property."
Liu Jun answered truthfully.
"What about the miners' union? How to deal with it?"
"Does this need to be said? Of course it will be banned directly, otherwise we wouldn't be so aggressive."
Old Charlie suddenly frowned and couldn't help but sarcastically said: "It's so sad that such a huge federation can't accommodate a small trade union."
"You don't have to talk nonsense with me. I'm going to ask you something right now. Are you willing to plead guilty?"
Liu Jun waved his hand impatiently.
"I need to think about it."
Old Charlie was not in a hurry to make a decision. He wanted to wait and see for a while. Maybe under the pressure from the outside world, the consul would choose to compromise.
There is no other way. If they really leave the union, their family will have nothing, and their livelihood will probably be a problem.
Liu Jun stood up immediately and issued an ultimatum: "You only have one day to think about it. I will come back tomorrow and hope to hear good news."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Old Charlie panicked.
"Whether you plead guilty or not, your case will be pronounced in three days. There is only one chance. I hope you can seize it." Liu Jun warned.
Old Charlie hesitated for a moment and tried to ask:
"What kind of guarantee is there for the amnesty you just mentioned?"
Liu Jun said coldly: "In our East, there is an idiom called Jun Wu Xiyan. A person with the status of a consul will not joke with his own credibility."
"Bah, I would rather believe a drunkard than a politician. Don't forget Zipperton. He dares to lie in front of the people of the entire Federation. This is ironclad evidence." Old Charlie said with disdain.
Liu Jun felt helpless: "Tell me, what guarantee do you want?"
"I need a written guarantee from the Archon."
Old Charlie said unceremoniously.
"This is impossible." Liu Jun shook his head repeatedly and explained casually: "You should understand that the consul will not take risks for such a trivial matter, it is not worth it."
"I……"
"You don't need to say it anymore. Let me remind you that the consul is not an ordinary politician. He is a businessman. Businessmen value credibility most. If you want to believe it, believe it. If you don't want to believe it... then just pretend I haven't been here."
Liu Jun pretended to be indifferent.
After saying that, without waiting for the other party to answer, he immediately turned around and walked towards the door. He was so sleepy now that he didn't have much time to argue with the old fox.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Wait a minute..." Old Charlie saw this and immediately stopped the other party, "I am willing to plead guilty, but my son Charlie Sean is still young and he still has a bright future.
, can you let him go so that he doesn’t leave a criminal record?”
Liu Jun stopped immediately with a smile on his face: "No problem, I can make the decision and promise you."
"Thank you!" Old Charlie breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're welcome. Please sort out your thoughts first. Someone will come over soon to help you take notes. Please explain clearly and honestly. Don't miss anything." Liu Jun warned.
Old Charlie sighed and nodded solemnly.
…
Under Liu Jun's urging, the court acted quickly, completing all the trial work in just two days, and finally concluded the case successfully.
In the more than 30 pages of indictment, Charlie Sr. was accused of defrauding or embezzling tens of millions of funds in total from the state government, the union and some funds controlled by him by virtue of his status as chairman of the miners' union.
For example, he arranged for all family members and dozens of close relatives to work in the miners' union, and most of them were just under one name, which is what we often call empty pay.
In the end, old Charlie was sentenced to life.
As for the others, they were generally between ten and thirty years old. Only a few people, such as Little Charlie, were exempted from prosecution due to insufficient evidence.
After the verdict was announced, public opinion immediately became polarized. Some people applauded and believed that these people brought it upon themselves;
Another part of the public insists that this is a deliberate retaliation by the authorities in order to quell the intensifying strike wave.
On Zhang Hao's side, after synthesizing intelligence from all parties, he immediately declared a wartime state. The most important one was to restrict the movement of personnel.
Shortly after the order was issued, more than a dozen union leaders were holding an emergency meeting in an employee dormitory of Jinneng Holdings Coal Company in Brisbane.
Robert, the president of the branch, said that he would continue to "fight". On the one hand, he was actively rescuing his colleagues, and on the other hand, he did not want to lose his position as president.
"Everyone, Australia is an important energy town. The government cannot afford to wait or consume. As long as we all unite and persist for a while, I believe the final victory will belong to us."
"Robert, the Federation of Trade Unions told us not to act rashly. This time the consul came to Australia in person and was serious about it. We can't risk our lives."
The person who spoke was a young Vietnamese named Ruan Ming Xue. Although she was a woman, she was quite prestigious and was the number two figure after Robert.
Robert's face was ferocious: "I don't believe they dare to shoot unless Zhang Hao doesn't want to do it anymore."
"Robert, please calm down. It's already a wartime situation. Those soldiers have unlimited fire rights. We can't bet on their mercy."
Chen Xianyi helped persuade.
He is an ordinary member of the labor union, but he is in a leadership position in the coal mining company. He was specially invited to this emergency meeting.
"Are we just going to watch old Charlie and the others go to jail without doing anything?"
Robert slapped his thigh hard.
Ruan Mingxue quickly reassured: "Robert, didn't the General Assembly say that? They have a way to help old Charlie and the others escape without our help."
"The verdict has been pronounced, how can we get away? I guess the Federation of Trade Unions has been bribed by the higher authorities. They are deliberately cooperating with the authorities and want to trick us into automatically disbanding."
Robert retorted.
"How is this possible? If old Charlie and the others really surrendered to the authorities, there is absolutely no way they would be sentenced so severely." Some people expressed doubts.
Robert waved his hand: "Nothing is impossible. Maybe they are deliberately acting for us?"
"Robert, no matter what, I don't agree with taking risks." Chen Xianyi insisted.
This is also the intention of the top management of the coal company. No matter how courageous they are, they will not dare to go against the central government, otherwise once the matter is leaked, there will be no good consequences.
"What should the union do? Can we just obey?"
Robert felt unwilling to do so.
"Man is a swordsman and I am a fish, what can I do?"
Chen Xianyi spread his hands helplessly.
Robert said angrily: "We have millions of miners in Australia. I believe that as long as we unite, it won't matter who comes."
"Robert, the situation you mentioned is unrealistic. All of us need to support our families. What we need more than a high salary is a stable job."
Ruan Mingxue retorted directly.
"What you say doesn't count. I propose that we vote on the spot by a show of hands. If everyone agrees to give up, I will have no objection." Robert wanted to try harder.
Chen Xianyi and Ruan Mingxue looked at each other, then nodded at the same time, agreeing to vote on the spot.
Robert seemed very excited. He immediately said loudly: "If you don't agree to continue the strike, please raise your hands."
As soon as he finished speaking, nine hands were raised.
The results are obvious.
Robert was a little unwilling: "Everyone has thought clearly, we don't have a place in the new union. Even if we have a place, it's just a decoration and of no great use."
"Robert, you don't need to persuade me anymore. We are not afraid of death, we are just afraid of losing our lives in vain."
Ruan Mingxue hits the nail on the head.
Today is different from the past. We are still in a state of emergency. The government has unlimited power, and people like them are nothing.
Besides, their salary level is already quite good, and it’s not like they can’t survive, so there’s really no need to risk their lives. In addition, she is also worried that Robert has bad intentions and wants to stir up trouble and kill someone with a borrowed knife.
As we all know, the most important thing Australians lack is racial discrimination. There is a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. The previous strike was because there was no danger.
Chen Xianyi nodded immediately: "Robert, you are also a family man. Even if you don't think about yourself, you still have to think more about your family, right?"
"Oh, you will regret it."
Seeing that the situation was over, Robert temporarily gave up the idea of continuing the strike.
…
At the same time, further north in Rockhampton, it was a different scene.
Under the organization of the local branch members, they continued to hold high the strike flag and formed a confrontation with the armed police. Although both sides were trying their best to exercise restraint, as time went by, the risk of losing control became higher and higher.
"Barbara, you should wear this body armor! You are the only woman among us, and you have two children to raise, so you need more protection."
President Barron took off his body armor.
Barbara shied away: "President, you are our leader. Any one of us can be injured, but you are the only one who cannot be injured. Why do we still need to rely on you to command?"
Baron forcibly put the body armor on the other party and said confidently: "Those policemen know that I am the president, and they dare not shoot me."
"President, then you can wear my military coat! The police dare not fire real guns, but they may fire rubber bullets. Rubber bullets will still hurt if they hit the body."
"Haha, I have a lot of fat on my body, so I can bear it."
President Barron joked to himself.
However, he still accepted the other party's kindness and put on a military coat outside his down jacket.
Soon, the incident progressed.
Surrounded by everyone, President Barron led a dozen strike representatives and followed the police into the city hall, preparing to negotiate with the officials.
In fact, they have only one demand, and that is to retain the miners' union, at least to keep its branches.
As for those high-level officials of the Federation of Trade Unions, they indeed deserve their punishment, and there is no need to waste time and energy on them.