SWDnovel Chapter 36 The Governor's Office Sends a Grand Gift
Chapter 36 The Governor's Office Sends a Grand Gift
Li Wei returned to the blackboard, picked up a charcoal pencil, and circled the area marked with the mad dog's territory.
"Did you know that 'Mad Dog' Barlow's cousin, who supposedly died at sea, was actually a quartermaster in the Royal Navy's Fourth Fleet?"
"Barlow has been using his territory to secretly help his cousin smuggle cheap timber and food to the British army in exchange for asylum. The money he extorted from his own people has ultimately become bullets shot into your chests."
"He is your mortal enemy, not mine."
Samuel was completely stunned.
The value of this intelligence far exceeded that of the printing press parts from the previous incident, and it far surpassed his expectations.
Li Wei not only knew Barlow, but also his connections and even the details of his smuggling activities.
He suddenly understood.
Livy was not surrendering.
He was using an Englishman's knife to kill an Englishman's dog, and then selling the dead dog's pelt to himself as a favor.
The depth of this Easterner's scheme and the ruthlessness of his methods sent a chill down his spine.
"I..." Samuel felt his throat go dry. "How do you expect me to report this to the organization?"
"It's very simple." Li Wei tossed the charcoal pencil aside.
"Tell them that I, Li Wei, am establishing a completely new order. In this order, 'freedom' is also a commodity; it requires someone to clear the way for it and provide protection, and these things all come at a price."
"This time, clearing out Barlow is just a free sample I'm giving to the 'Sons of Liberty.' Next time, you'll need to pay real money for my services."
"We will trust your judgment for now."
Samuel left the warehouse in a daze, his back view showing a hint of panic, a mixture of shock and awe.
He knew he had to convince the people in the organization to temporarily believe this terrifying Easterner.
Because they had no other choice.
The warehouse returned to silence.
Fiona walked over to Levi, looked at the name crossed out on the blackboard, and asked softly, "Sir, do we really want to... help those Sons of Liberty?"
"We're not helping anyone, Fiona." Levi picked up a damp cloth and wiped the writing off the blackboard. "We're only helping ourselves."
He walked to the window and looked out at the dark night sky over the dock.
The distant chimes of the clock tower echoed, deep and lingering.
He took out a silver pocket watch from his pocket and opened the cover.
The hands of the clock are ticking away, second by second, toward midnight.
He turned around and spoke to Seamus, who had been standing quietly in the corner.
"Get the brothers ready."
"Block the alleyway three days from now."
……
Three days later at midnight, the clock had just struck twelve, and the dull lingering sound had not yet dissipated.
A long procession of red cars drove from the main street into the dock area, their leather boots making a dull thud on the wet cobblestones.
The torchlight illuminated the brass buttons on their uniforms and the barrels of their smoothbore muskets; these were the Governor's men, the "Lobster Soldiers" as Bostonians called them.
The leading officer was Lieutenant Hank, a British Army lieutenant and an "old acquaintance" of Levi's; his white gloves stood out conspicuously in the dim light.
His sword remained sheathed at his waist, his gloved hand resting on the hilt as he issued his first command with a blank expression.
"First row, second row, follow me to the north warehouse area. Everyone else, block all entrances!"
Hank's order was swift and decisive; the soldiers immediately dispersed, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the light of the whale oil lamps.
Their objective was clear: to raid the largest warehouse where "Mad Dog" Barlow had stockpiled his goods.
The warehouse door was kicked open roughly, and the people inside were still gambling noisily.
"Mad Dog" Barlow was in his makeshift main warehouse, boasting to his men about how he had seen through the Easterners' trickery.
"...That one-eyed bastard tried to trick me into going south, but I'm going to ship the goods north! Tomorrow morning, we'll make a fortune on the black market! And while we're at it, we'll rob those Easterners of all their goods!"
"I heard that Asian guy's got an Irish girl, all hot and sexy! We should bring her back sometime so we brothers can have some fun!"
Before he could finish speaking, the warehouse door was smashed open by a battering ram.
Amidst the flying sawdust, Barlow and the others saw red uniforms pouring in through the doorway.
"Lobster Soldiers!"
A scream shattered the noise.
Barlow kicked over the table, grabbed an axe, and roared, "Grab your weapons! Let's fight them!"
However, he was met with a row of dark, smoothbore gun muzzles.
"Fire." Hank's voice was flat.
Gunshots rang out, and the warehouse was instantly filled with smoke and the stench of blood. Barlow was shot in the chest, his burly body falling backward, the huge butcher's axe clattering to the ground.
He died without understanding why Finn's words were actually true.
In the chaos, his men were easily divided, surrounded, and disarmed by well-equipped soldiers.
Almost at the same time that shots were fired from Barlow's side, another group of soldiers rushed into the dock area.
Almost simultaneously, gunshots and shouts rang out in the dock area as another group of Red Shrimp soldiers smashed open the "Hook Gang's" lair.
The "Iron Hook Gang" had clearly gotten wind of the operation; the warehouse was mostly empty, with only a few unlucky souls caught red-handed. But the goods they had carelessly abandoned were piled up all over the floor.
The soldiers did not give chase; instead, they methodically sealed off the unattended smuggled goods.
In the fish market, the territory of the "salted fish gang," everything was quiet.
A small squad of soldiers routinely patrolled the area, poking at a few empty boxes with their bayonets, finding nothing, before turning and leaving.
Old Mike hid in the shadows of an alley, watching the soldiers' departing figures, his cloudy eyes filled with lingering fear.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, feeling an almost divine awe for the Easterner's methods.
In the alleyways of the dock, the sounds of fighting, shouting, and gunfire mingled together.
Just then, silent figures emerged from the dark alleyways that were usually piled with garbage.
Seamus and his guards, like a group of sharks that have smelled blood, silently occupied all escape routes.
They did not participate in the battle; they simply formed walls with spears and shields.
A guy who had escaped from the "Iron Hook Gang" warehouse, still carrying a box of salvaged goods, crashed headfirst into Seamus's shield and fell flat on his face.
"Get out of my way! Don't block my way!" He got up and drew the short knife from his waist.
Seamus didn't speak, but simply moved the tip of his spear forward half an inch.
The two guards behind him immediately stepped forward; one used a short stick to precisely knock the knife out of the other's hand, and the other kicked him in the knee.
The man screamed and fell to his knees, the box in his arms fell open, and the wine bottles shattered on the ground.
"Mr. Li has his own rules," Seamus said calmly.
"Those who wish to stay will have a bowl of hot soup."
"Those who want to leave, put your goods down."