noveltune Chapter 62 The Governor's Collar
Chapter 62 The Governor's Collar
As soon as Levi's carriage left the governor's garden, Andrew Gage followed and unceremoniously squeezed into the carriage.
He leaned back lazily on the velvet cushion and yawned exaggeratedly, making his brand-new officer's uniform look like a bathrobe he had hastily thrown on while still half asleep.
"My Eastern friend," he lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "did you understand what the old man said?"
Andrew pointed in the direction of the Governor's Palace.
"He's not sending you to be a dockworker, he's sending you to be the new 'strongman,' Jenny. An obedient 'strongman' who will proactively trim all his thorns."
Li Wei toyed with the treated white rose in his hand; its stem was smooth and posed no threat.
Of course he understands.
What the governor sent today was less of goodwill and trust, and more of an invisible chain forged with honor and tacit approval.
One end of the chain was around his neck, and the other end was held in the governor's own hand.
He needs an agent to restore "order" at the docks, a tool that can collect taxes for him and can be replaced at any time.
"Andrew, please give my regards to your uncle and tell him that Oak Bay Estate welcomes him."
"As for the Governor, I naturally have ways to satisfy him."
Andrew Gage remained noncommittal, simply flipping over and leaving the carriage through the window, his posture still unrestrained, as he casually mounted his horse.
He didn't notice that Li Wei frowned slightly, as if he was calculating something, and muttered to himself, "Three seconds, a little faster than me."
……
The carriage returned to Oak Bay Estate.
Finn and Seamus had been waiting in the study for quite some time.
When Levi reiterated the governor's intentions in the most concise language, Finn's single eye instantly flashed with a terrifying ferocity.
He stood up excitedly, his large fingers slamming heavily on his leather eye mask.
"Sir! Give the order! I'll take my men there tonight and drag those insignificant bastards out of their dens one by one! I guarantee that before dawn, there will only be one voice echoing in Boston's underground!"
In his view, the governor’s tacit approval was a hunting license.
He couldn't wait to enjoy the thrill of massacring the docks and suburbs, to use the most direct violence to completely devour this piece of fat meat.
Levi shook his head, rejecting Finn's plan.
He walked to his desk, picked up a quill pen, and drew a simple square on a clean piece of paper, then drew a few small circles below the square.
"Finn, violence is the most costly way to run a business."
Li Wei tapped the square representing the gang with the tip of his pen.
"Jenny is a bandit, so the Governor's Office can easily wipe him out and even gain credit for suppressing the rebellion. If we also become bandits, our fate won't be much better than Jenny's."
Finn and Seamus were both stunned; they couldn't understand it.
In their world, territory is seized with swords and fists; there is no other way.
"We want to establish a 'Boston Wharf Mutual Aid Association,' which will then be effectively controlled by our 'Leeway Oriental Trading Company.'"
"An organization that all dockworkers, small vendors, boatmen, and even the prostitutes in the taverns had to join."
Finn opened his mouth and blinked his one eye, clearly unable to follow Levi's train of thought.
"Mutual aid society? Sir, what's that? Can it be used as a knife?"
"able."
Li Wei's tone was very certain.
"The Mutual Aid Society is a business organization. It has its own bylaws, a formal membership register, and most importantly, it can pay taxes to the Governor's House like a real company."
He looked up and glanced at Finn and Seamus respectively.
"If the governor wants to take down a bandit gang, all he needs is a bandit suppression order. But if he wants to take down a 'legitimate' business entity that pays him a large sum of taxes every year, he has to weigh the political costs he will have to pay. What we need to do is to package our violence as a legitimate business."
"Finn, from now on, go to your usual pubs and use your influence among the Irish folks to spread a message."
"Tell them that a new organization is about to be established. As long as they join the 'Mutual Aid Association' and abide by the 'rules,' they can get stable jobs, have their medical expenses paid if they are injured, and their families can receive a pension if they die."
"Remember, don't talk to them about territory and money; talk to them about bread and security. That's more attractive to those dockworkers than gold coins."
Then, Levi turned to the silent Seamus.
"Seamus, take a few of your best men and, starting tonight, go and 'visit' the leaders of those small gangs on the docks."
Seamus nodded, his back ramrod straight.
"Take two things with you," Li Wei said, holding up two fingers.
"The first item is a leaflet printed with the bylaws of the 'Boston Dock Mutual Aid Association.' The second item..."
Levi took a stack of papers from the drawer and handed them to Seamus.
"It's a detailed breakdown of all the illicit income of these leaders."
These bills were pieced together bit by bit by Levi through the "Sons of Liberty" intelligence network, from the mouths of pub waiters, brothel madams, and black market dealers in every corner of Boston, analyzed by Fiona and her people.
Every smuggled item and every shady transaction was meticulously documented by Fiona.
"Tell them that by joining the mutual aid society, these bad debts can be wiped clean, and they can even turn into legitimate income through our channels. If they refuse..."
Li Wei paused for a moment.
"These bills will be on the Governor General's tax officer's desk tomorrow."
Li Wei had no intention of threatening the other party's life; instead, he directly seized the other party's money.
For these greedy speculators, cutting off their source of income is far more terrifying than killing them.
Finally, Levi looked at Fiona, who had been standing quietly to the side.
"Fiona, your task is to draft a detailed 'Mutual Aid Association Bylaw.' It must include the standards for collecting membership fees, the uniform rates for loading and unloading cargo at the dock, the arbitration process for disputes between members, and even specific clauses on workers' compensation and pensions."
Fiona did not speak, but bowed respectfully.
She understood that the rigor of these bylaws would directly determine how well-conceived this "mutual aid society" was.
……
That night, the Green Dragon Tavern, where Finn often went, was packed with people.
The murky air was thick with the smell of cheap beer, sweat, and tobacco.
Finn stood on a table and, with his booming voice, conveyed Levy's promise to the ears of every Irish worker.
There were no cheers, nor any excited shouts.
The exhausted workers stared intently at Finn, their eyes filled with an intense longing for "stable jobs" and "medical security."
This longing is far more real than the fear of violence.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit warehouse at the other end of the dock.
A gang leader named "Axe" Barry was trembling as Seamus handed him a piece of paper.
On the white paper, he meticulously listed every penny he had earned in the past six months through extortion and tobacco smuggling.
The numbers are accurate to the shilling.
Seamus sat opposite him without saying a word, but was carefully carving a small wooden horse with his dagger. It was exquisite but not smooth enough, and it obviously needed some more time.
The warehouse was quiet, save for the sound of sweat dripping from Barry's forehead onto the wooden table and the barely audible sound of sawdust falling to the ground.
A bloodless war has quietly begun on the docks of Boston.
This war had nothing to do with honor or courage; it was all about ledgers and survival.
That night, the same bills appeared at every single one of the thirteen small gangs in Boston, except for Finn's dockside brethren.
The next morning, Fiona placed a carefully bound charter on Levi's desk.
At almost the same time, Finn and Seamus also walked in.
"Sir," Finn said, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement, "more than three hundred dockworkers have clearly expressed their willingness to join us! Adding to the original North District Brotherhood and the brothers we recruited in the South District, we now have more than six hundred men."
Seamus, on the other hand, was much more concise.
He placed a list on the table.
"Eleven of the thirteen small gangs have agreed. Two more remain..."
"Choose one to finish, and leave the other one. Deadline is tomorrow night. Now go home and have dinner with your wife and children!" Li Wei didn't even look up at the list, but calmly gave the order.
Seamus turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Li Wei then picked up the charter drafted by Fiona and nodded in satisfaction.
"Fiona, send a copy of this charter, along with our tax commitment, to the Governor's Office."
He looked up at the rising sun outside the window.
"Send another copy to Mr. Samuel of 'Sons of Liberty.' Tell him that our company is currently in need of a large number of 'market information consultants,' and ask him if he is interested in taking on our first order."