1132 The War Has Started: The Battle of Wits Between Jeanne and Edward
He had been obsessed with finding and killing that person.
“The Swans should be the Duncans’ biggest pillar of support.” Jeanne said directly, “Let’s attack the Swans.”
“How?” Warren asked.
“Find a crime and convict the Swans.”
“...The country isn’t child’s play. We can’t simply convict someone. We need evidence!” Warren did not agree.
If it did not work, it would make him a topic of discussion, and the people would be angry. Hence, the gains they would get from doing that would not be worth it.
“I didn’t say that we have to convict him of the crime we found. There has to be evidence to convict someone. Otherwise, the public wouldn’t be convinced, and the Swans wouldn’t admit to their crime so easily. We’re just making the Swans commit a crime themselves! If the Duncans want to make a move now, they would have to make up for the lack of powerful backing like the Swans. Hence, the Duncans wouldn’t take this risk without the Swans’ help. But since the Duncans have already been exposed, they must be prepared to do something big. That’s why the Swans won’t dare to let anything happen to them and will resist us.”
“You’re saying that if we find a crime to arrest the Swans, they’ll resist us? Then…” Warren was a little excited.
“Then, the Swans will really be found guilty, and it’s only right that we attack them.” Jeanne made it clear.
That would solve the problem of the Sanders not being able to find a reason to attack them for so long.
Warren had to take a deep breath before he turned to look at Chester.
He really did not expect that Jeanne would be able to solve all his problems with just a few words.
What he was afraid of now was that if he touched the Swans, he would not be able to convince the public.
However, if they went with Jeanne’s method and the Swans resisted their investigation, the Swans would naturally look guilty, and the Sanders would have enough reason to punish the Swans.
It was indeed a good idea.
However, Warren looked at Jeanne. “What if the Swans don’t resist but give in to us instead? We can’t do anything to them without any evidence. In that case, we’ll just be wasting each other’s time.”
“If the Swans really don’t resist, we can delay the trial until the Duncans’ patience runs out!” Jeanne said, “After all, once we restrain the Swans, we’ll cause internal turmoil in the Duncans if we find any clues about them. It will force the Duncans out of hiding.”
“How can we find these so-called clues about the Duncans?” Warren asked.
At that moment, Jeanne had his complete attention.
“Father, haven’t you been investigating the Duncans? Why did you stop? Do you think that it’s too much work, or do you really think that you can’t find this person?” Jeanne asked.
Warren had no choice but to answer honestly, “I feel defeated that I can’t find such a person. I just think that the Swans have hidden this person in a place that’s impossible for us to find, so I’ve started to slack off on the investigation.”
“It’s normal for you to feel this way. If it were me, I would feel the same. If I spent so much effort to find this person only to not find him at all, I would think I wasn’t capable enough to find him too.” Jeanne said, “Of course, I’m not trying to find this person because I don’t think I have the ability to find him either. What we need to do now is to let the Duncans and the Swans think that we might be able to find this person.”
“I understand what you mean. You’re saying that if the Swans submit to us and don’t start a direct conflict with us, we’ll put on a show to make the Duncans panic. Once they can’t hold themselves back anymore, they’ll panic.”
“Once they panic, they will lose the ability to consider many things. We should take this opportunity to take down the Swans and annihilate the Duncans’ remaining forces.” Jeanne’s words were firm and powerful.
Warren decided. “Alright, let’s do that!”
In the current situation, the Duncans were not the only ones wanting to make a move. He, too, could not hold back any longer.
He knew very well that if this situation dragged on and he allowed the Duncans and the Swans to develop as they wished, his rule over Harken would end very soon.
“I suggest it’s best for you to plan everything tonight. We should strike first tomorrow morning when the Swans and Duncans are caught off guard. I’ve talked to Edward before, and he’s not a simple person. If we delay this for too long, he’ll be able to defeat us first and force us into a dilemma.”