ATPnovel Chapter 51 Prey, Hounds, and Butcher
Chapter 51 Prey, Hounds, and Butcher
Meanwhile, Seamus stood in the stables of Oak Bay Estate, with a dozen or so capable men selected from the docks and streets standing before him.
These people were not professionally trained guards, but thugs, hooligans, and "rats" lurking in the shadows of the city.
"Sir's orders are simple."
"I need all the roads near Pier 3 to be 'busy' between 7:30 and 8:30 tonight."
He looked at his subordinates' confused faces, offered no explanation, and simply elaborated on the requirement of being "busy".
"A timber wagon can overturn at the crossroads. A drunkard can lie in the middle of the street and sing. Two groups of dockworkers can fight over a penny's wages. I don't care what methods you use, the journey from the Governor's Mansion to the Third Dock will take three times as long as usual."
"I need an accident, but no one can die, and it absolutely cannot cause trouble for the gentleman, understand?"
"Understood, boss!" The men grinned; this was something they were experts at.
Soon, Seamus's men moved along the several main roads leading to the third dock.
At the corner of Boat Street, a horse-drawn carriage carrying beer barrels suddenly had its axle snap with a "crack," and the beer barrels rolled all over the ground, blocking most of the street.
The coachman and the tavern owner, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, were arguing loudly, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Outside a small tavern on North Street, two burly men "accidentally" got into a fight over the ownership of a dancer, which quickly escalated into a brawl involving more than a dozen people. Bottles and chairs flew through the air, and shouts and curses echoed through the night.
A little girl selling flowers was knocked down by a "clumsy" gentleman, scattering flowers all over the ground, which attracted the attention of the patrol team.
Seamus stood in the shadow of a rooftop not far away, like a silent bear.
He watched as his "rats" precisely controlled the city's traffic in the most primitive and chaotic way.
These small "accidents" will ensure that neither the British patrols nor the "Sons of Liberty" action teams arrive early, but only on time on the tracks that Levy has laid out for them.
……
In the study at Oak Bay Estate, Fiona lit a candle.
She sat in her study, two identical sheets of paper in front of her. This Irish maid, who had only learned to write a month ago, was already quite proficient in it.
With her left hand, she wrote on the first piece of paper in a crooked handwriting:
"To Your Excellency the Governor, Captain Marcus, Quartermaster of the 43rd Infantry Regiment, has embezzled weapons and will be trading them at Warehouse 2, Third Pier, at 8 p.m. tonight. A citizen loyal to the King."
After finishing writing, she switched to her right hand and, in a completely different, messy, and angry handwriting, wrote on the second sheet of paper:
"Shocking! The Royal Army's equipment is in disarray, and officers have turned to thievery! The new smoothbore muskets from HMS Serpent haven't even been put into storage before they're on the black market! Where is the King's dignity? Who will protect the security of the colonies? An angry taxpayer."
She would have Finn's men secretly drop the first letter into the governor's mailbox at 8:15.
The second letter will appear on the editor-in-chief of the Boston Gazette early tomorrow morning.
The letter sent to the governor's office was precise in its wording and clear in its logic. It detailed the chain of evidence that Captain Marcus had embezzled public funds in the purchase of sulfur and saltpeter by abusing his position, and clearly stated that he would be conducting a larger arms deal that night.
The letter sent to the Boston Gazette was highly inflammatory. It denounced the British army's lax discipline and corrupt officers, who were selling weapons meant to protect the colonies as commodities, and questioned whether the governor was unaware of this or deliberately condoning it.
After she finished writing the letter, she put it in an envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and waited for the bell to ring.
Just then, the study door was suddenly pushed open, and Finn rushed in, bringing with him a chill, his single eye filled with anxiety.
"Sir! Something's happened!"
Li Wei calmly raised his head, and stopped tapping the table with his knuckles.
This was the first time he had seen Finn so out of control.
"explain."
"Marcus... Captain Marcus, that idiot, he's too cautious! His deal tonight isn't with any of the black market dealers we thought he was dealing with!" Finn's voice was hoarse from the urgency.
"My men just returned from outside the city and saw it with their own eyes! Marcus's contact is 'Strongman' Jenny!"
This wasn't a gang leader in Boston, but the head of a mob entrenched in the wilderness outside the city, a madman who reveled in pure violence and slaughter.
His men were all desperate criminals with several lives on their hands, and they never followed any rules.
In Li Wei's view, compared to the formidable Jenny, the butcher "Jack," whom he had previously completely destroyed, seemed like a decent and respectable person.
Livy's plan was based on the relatively "civilized" adversaries, the Governor's House and the "Sons of Liberty." They had concerns, objectives, and predictable actions.
But Jenny is different; he is a true beast, an unpredictable variable.
Livy's plan was to have the Sons of Liberty "steal" and the British army "capture" them, staging a classic case of the thief crying "stop thief!"
But if the people who stormed into the warehouse were not a group of revolutionaries looking to buy guns, but a mob of thugs ready to go on a killing spree, then tonight's Third Pier would no longer be a stage, but a bloody slaughterhouse.
Li Wei remained silent, but for the first time, his usually calm and unwavering eyes showed a violent fluctuation.
Finn looked at Levi, anxiously awaiting orders. "Sir, what do we do? Should we cancel the operation? Silas and the others have already set off!"
Li Wei did not answer. He walked to the window and looked at the scattered lights of the dock in the distance, the outline of the clock tower appearing and disappearing in the night.
His meticulously planned card game was suddenly disrupted by a madman who never looked at his cards and only knew how to flip the table.
A moment later, Levi turned around, his expression returning to its usual calm, but what he said stunned Finn and Fiona.
"Finn, immediately inform Seamus to have his men remove all roadblocks and let that British patrol pass, the sooner the better."
"Fiona, send another letter to Andrew Gage as quickly as possible."
"Tell him that his cousin Marcus's business tonight isn't with any Boston black market dealers, nor with the 'Sons of Liberty,' but with a bunch of real lunatics. If he wants to keep his credit and, incidentally, save that patrol's lives, let him go there himself with the Governor's Guard."