"Boss."
Maria saw Casare and happily opened her arms for a hug. Casare had a gentle smile and stepped forward to gently stroke the little girl's hair.
Victor patted his daughter's back, and Belsaria got up knowingly, taking a sowhat reluctant Maria from her husband's arms. At the sa ti, she waved to Bruto, "Kids, let's go check out the little tomatoes we planted yesterday in the garden."
Donald also stood up, nodded slightly to Casare, and left the living room with his daughter and grandchildren.
The door was gently closed.
Victor lit a Marlboro. Even now, he still liked smoking this brand of cigarette. It was cheap but strong.
"Go ahead, what's the latest trouble?"
"In the mountainous area between Oaxaca and Chiapas, those remnants of the Zapatista National Liberation Front have resurfaced."
Victor frowned: "Remnants? Didn't we wipe them out?"
"They've changed tactics. It's no longer just ard attacks and infrastructure sabotage. They've launched large-scale village protests, blocking major roads leading to several key towns in the mountains. There's a large number of them, and it seems preditated."
The relationship between the Zapatista National Liberation Front and the local community is complicated and hard to explain in a few words.
"What do they want? Are they demanding the release of those detained terrorists again?"
"In their public statent, they demanded political participation rights."
The room fell silent for a mont.
Then, Victor let out a short laugh.
"Political participation rights?" He repeated the words with a mocking tone. "They want political participation rights? Casare, are you sure you didn't mishear? Or did those guys eat too many mushrooms in the deep forests and started hallucinating?"
He strode over to Casare, jabbing the air with his finger as if poking an invisible enemy's chest: "Tell ! Since I took over this ss, to stabilize those godforsaken areas in the central region, how many benefits have I given them?! Hmm?!"
Casare nodded vigorously and began counting on his fingers, rapidly praising "Victor's great achievents":
"The notes you personally approved, pulling real silver from the central treasury every year exclusively for infrastructure developnt in minority-populated areas in the central region! Building roads! Bringing electricity! Providing water! They didn't even have a decent road before, and now trucks can drive into the village!"
"All school-aged children, as long as they attend schools set up by the governnt, not only is tuition fully waived, but their families also receive food and cash subsidies! Just so their next generation won't blindly follow those ard militants!"
"Fertilizer and seeds below market price! The governnt ensures the purchase of their corn and coffee beans! So they can survive and live better than before!"
"dical aid, mobile dical teams regularly go to the countryside! Although the conditions aren't as good as in the city, at least if they get malaria or bit by a snake, there's sowhere to get treated, and they don't have to wait to die!"
"Boss, you've done a trendous job." Casare knew it by heart.
This left Victor a bit confounded...
You rember so clearly; this made my anger diminish quite a bit.
He took a deep breath, his face softening slightly, "I gave them jobs, a way to live, and dignity. I even tolerated their bizarre traditions, and in return?"
"Do they think I'm too easygoing, Victor?"
"Is there soone outside stirring up trouble?" Victor suddenly looked at Casare and asked.
"We've done an initial investigation and found no evidence of clear external support. It seems like a faction within them — a radical faction — believes our recent focus on the drug ban and military reorganization ans we don't have ti to deal with them. They want to take advantage of the situation to grab more political capital."
"So, they think I, Victor, am overwheld and easy to bully now, that they can capitalize on our distress?"
Victor laughed out of anger, "The drug issue isn't even resolved, and these fools are jumping out to make trouble! Do they really think my patience is infinite?"
Casare tentatively asked, "Should we deploy the National Guard or Army troops there? Disperse the protest by force, arrest the ringleaders? Quick and decisive action to warn others who are watching."
"No!" Victor waved his hand sharply. He squinted his eyes and said, "Deploying the army? That would be too much face-saving for them, and it would easily provide grounds for accusations, saying I'm oppressing ethnic minorities. Aren't they counting on their numbers, on the benefits I've given them before, to cause trouble?"
He said fiercely, "Transmit my order!"
"Imdiately cut off all external communication networks in those rioting towns near the Oaxaca-Chiapas border, and surrounding villages. Block all mobile signals, landlines, and internet. I want them to beco deaf and blind, crying to the heavens but unanswered, seeking the earth but finding no aid!"
"Notify the Treasury Departnt and the Ministry of the Interior that from today onwards, indefinitely suspend all minority-specific subsidies, agricultural support funds, and educational subsidies to that area! Not a penny is to flow in!"
"Order the National Food Company to stop supplying grain to all governnt-controlled grain stores and distribution points in that area! Not a single grain of rice or a bag of flour is to be sent in! Before, we begged them to accept it, now, I want them to understand who is really sustaining them!"
"Aren't they ungrateful? Don't they feel entitled to what I give them? Fine! I'll take it all back, one by one!"
"I'll let them go hungry for a few days, let them stay in the deep forests, contemplating the dead signals and empty rice jars, and think carefully about what they are without , Victor, without the xican Governnt! Let them think about who really is their benefactor now!"
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