Capítulo 1471: Chapter 694: In This Game, Players Never Run Out

“He should be impeached! Immediately! Right now!” another radio host called out sharply.

Some far-right groups and angry “rednecks” began to move. They held up signs—

“Give me death over Texas!”, “Bush treason!”, “Victor is a clown, Bush is an accomplice!”, gathering on Lafayette Square and the streets outside the White House, their numbers increasing, their emotions intensifying.

They shouted slogans, burned the Mexican flag, and even clashed and scuffled with the National Guard and Special Service personnel maintaining order.

Inside the Oval Office at the White House, the atmosphere was so heavy it could be squeezed for water.

Little Bush stood by the window, watching the dark mass of protesting crowds outside, listening to the faint sounds of cursing.

His face was more haggard than before he went to Mexico, his eye sockets sunken.

The Chief of Staff and several core advisors stood behind him, reporting the severe situation.

“Mr. President, the Senate Majority Leader just called, using very harsh language. He believes your actions were unauthorized by Congress, severely damaging national interests and party reputation.”

“There is already a formal draft of the impeachment motion submitted in the House of Representatives, although the support votes may not be enough yet, the momentum is very bad.”

“The media editorials are almost one-sided; even a few newspapers that traditionally support us think your actions are inappropriate and lack necessary explanation.”

“We are worried that the protesters outside might get out of control. Some extremists might be mixed in.”

Little Bush slowly turned around, his voice hoarse yet unusually firm, with a bizarre calmness forged after being “hammered” by Victor in Mexico:

“Explanation? To whom? To those politicians who just sit in their offices and talk big? Or to those idiots who think they can take back Texas with a few hunting rifles?”

He walked to the desk, hands propped on the desktop, his gaze sweeping over his advisors: “Do you think I went to Mexico for a vacation? Do you think you can convince that madman Victor with reasoning? We’ve lost Texas! That’s a fact! Reality is not a Hollywood movie, we don’t have an invincible fleet and corps to grab it back immediately, and there’s also the risk of turning the whole West Coast into a battlefield!”

He took a deep breath, lowered his voice but spoke with more pressure: “What I’m doing now is preserving other states, avoiding a full-scale war that we can’t currently afford, and buying the United States time to catch its breath and regroup! This dignity, I clawed it out from Victor’s teeth, understand?”

I almost had to sell my ass.

The Chief of Staff hesitated for a moment: “But, Mr. President, the domestic public opinion…”

“Public opinion?”

Little Bush abruptly interrupted him, a trace of Victor’s fierceness flashing in his eyes, “Public opinion is guided by strength and victory, not by begging! Don’t they want toughness? Fine! I’ll show them what toughness means!”

He straightened up, his tone decisive and forceful, issuing a series of orders:

“First, notify the Department of Justice to invoke the ‘Insurrection Act’, arrest several of the most active far-right group leaders and agitators immediately on charges of endangering national security and inciting rebellion. Gather their dirt, use as much as you have.”

“Second, authorize the National Guard and Special Service to take clearance measures against illegal assemblies around the White House and in Washington D.C., if necessary, non-lethal force can be used to disperse them. If anyone violently resists the law, allow escalation of countermeasures. Tell the commanders on-site, I want order, restore order immediately!”

“Third, call the governors of the Independent States, talk privately, tell them the federal government understands their concerns and is willing to engage in unprecedented negotiations regarding power delegation, economic aid, and border control, even discuss a permanent new federal relationship framework, provided they must immediately and publicly announce the cancellation of independence and return to the federal system. This is the last chance, if they refuse… they are responsible for the consequences.”

“Fourth, prepare a national television address. I will personally explain to the American people what has happened and what we are going to do. It’s not an apology, it’s an announcement, it’s setting the tone!”

“Fifth.”

He looked at the Minister of Defense, “We need to thoroughly review the structure, equipment, and strategic thinking of the military. Past thinking can’t win the current war. We need a more flexible, more lethal force that can respond to asymmetric threats. Money is not a problem, I’ll ask Congress to pass a special appropriation bill, anyone who dares to block it is committing treason!”

This series of orders, efficient and overbearing, shocked the advisors present.

The Little Bush in front of them seemed transformed, no longer the occasionally indecisive “playboy”, but a leader with a hard core forced out by great setbacks and humiliation.

They exchanged glances.

Victor taught him a lesson?

The orders were swiftly executed.

That night, the fully armed National Guard and federal police began a forceful clearance.

The smell of tear gas filled the night sky over Washington, protesters who refused to leave were forcibly dragged and arrested, with many injured in the clashes.

Several well-known leaders of the far-right organizations were taken away by the FBI at their homes or offices, with solid charges.

In just a few hours, Little Bush delivered a national television address.

He offered no apology, no remorse.

With a stern face, he described the “unprecedented challenges” facing the country, emphasizing the necessity of “realistic choices” and “avoiding greater disaster”.