SGB Chapter 338
by admin## Chapter 338: Commercial Competition?
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**Liverpool, Merseyside, Lime Street.**
Liverpool, as a major transportation hub for Britain, and a crucial center for maritime trade in all of Europe, handles over 40% of Europe’s transatlantic trade. Lime Street, known as the “King’s Cross” of Liverpool, has always held a unique position in the city’s urban and transportation planning.
A kilometer west of Lime Street lies Liverpool’s bustling docklands.
Standing atop a tall building, looking west, one sees a row of docks stretching from north to south: the Old Dock, primarily engaged in trade with Africa and Ireland; the Salt House Dock, focused on grain and timber trade; St. George’s Dock, catering mainly to the West Indies trade; the King’s Dock, packed with ships from America and the Baltic coast; and Queen’s Dock, dedicated to Greenland fishing operations.
At the edges of these five docks, construction workers reign supreme. The Brunswick Dock, funded by the Customs Service, is expected to be completed next year. After its completion, this young newcomer in the Liverpool dock family will take on the responsibility of timber trade between Britain and its Canadian colonies, ensuring a steady supply of centuries-old oak for the Royal Navy’s shipbuilding needs.
Just a street away from Lime Street is Liverpool’s renowned shipbuilding district, where countless workshops specializing in ship equipment are clustered. From nautical ropes, sails, and copper rivets for the ship’s bottom to simple iron components, wooden barrels for storing fresh water, and the sailors’ beloved beer mugs, everything you might need on a ship can be found here.
Such a vital area naturally attracts the attention of major import-export trading companies and real estate developers. Since Liverpool’s port status was confirmed in the 17th century, land prices here have been steadily rising. While Liverpool’s trade suffered a significant blow during the Napoleonic Wars early in the century, after Napoleon, the biggest bear in Liverpool real estate, suffered a crushing defeat at Waterloo, Lime Street’s land prices, like Liverpool’s import-export throughput, began a rapid and vengeful climb.
Today, those who can secure land on Lime Street are either local old-money aristocrats, prominent nouveau riche, or organizations with a long and storied history.
Speaking of Liverpool’s organizations with a long history, as the Liverpool citizens often joke, if God is the boss, then the Liverpool Association is the second in command.
In the club’s grand hall where the members of the Liverpool Association often congregate, a dozen silver-haired gentlemen were quietly nestled in their armchairs, sipping tea while reading newspapers.
For these old fellows, coming to the club for a while before heading to their companies has become a habit.
In such a place where merchants gather, you always hear a lot of reliable inside information. This information can, without warning, lead you to a fortune or save your hard-earned cash.
“John, I didn’t go to the banquet last night, but I heard the young chap from London mentioned a new urban development plan to you? A total of two hundred thousand pounds?”
Old Gladstone shifted his weight from one leg to the other, continued to cross his legs, and replied without looking up from his newspaper, “It’s just a rumour, a pie in the sky. In my opinion, it may not materialize. Mr. Hastings probably doesn’t want to make things too awkward with us, so after reprimanding the Customs Service, he wants to throw us a bone to keep us hanging.”
Old Watchmaker Roswell chimed in, “That’s right. Those robbers at the Treasury are like dogs, they see money and they bite down and won’t let go. It’s not easy to get a few scraps out of their rotten teeth. A Scotland Yard inspector, he can’t even catch all the criminals in London, how can he be confident he can go toe-to-toe with the Treasury?”
The silver-haired gentlemen glanced at the two of them, raised an eyebrow, and questioned with suspicion, “Oh! Is this the sun shining in London, a divine intervention? When did you two old geezers start seeing eye to eye?”
Roswell sipped his tea carefully, “Lowe, you’re so harsh with your words. Aren’t John and I speaking on your behalf?”
Old gentleman Lowe narrowed his eyes, “Is that so? Speaking on my behalf, I didn’t hear a word of it, but the ticking of your watch is buzzing in my head. My dear Mr. Roswell, your new factory isn’t in London, it’s in my head! You two wouldn’t dare to eat this two hundred thousand pounds without telling everyone, would you? Your appetites are pretty big!”
Roswell didn’t mind the sarcasm at all, being a member of the Liverpool Association, he had been studying how to handle fellow businessmen for two or three decades.
He said, “Lowe, why don’t you believe me when I tell you the truth? The urban development project is just a concept for now. Do you know what a concept is? A concept is something that’s not definite. Until the shovels hit the ground, it’s not something to be taken seriously. Besides, didn’t you intend to send someone to give that clueless London kid a taste of your power? You said: ‘I used to run slaves in Africa, eight thousand pounds a ship, and there’s always the risk of malaria.’ This time, everyone is keeping you out of the loop because they’re concerned about your health. You can’t even handle malaria, what if you catch cholera?”
Lowe, upon hearing this, was so angry that he hit the floor repeatedly with his cane, “Roswell, you old clockmaker, do you understand urban development? Are you going to pave a road on King’s Street with your watch? You can’t even keep the clock on the church tower running, aren’t you afraid that God will punish you and take you away?”
Roswell retorted, “Yeah, you understand urban development. You’ve been studying the streets ever since you stopped running ships. You’ve been at it for ten years, and the road you paved, it’s so muddy that I get a mouthful of mud every time I step on it during a rainy day. That’s the quality of your construction company.”
Lowe, hearing this, flushed with anger and emphasized, “That’s because the city council didn’t allocate enough funds for the project! If those bastards could pay at least 70% of the project cost like the Customs Service did for the Brunswick Dock, I guarantee the streets of Liverpool would be paved better than the Westminster Palace hall!”
Seeing their old comrade getting flustered, others quickly stepped in to soothe him.
“Lowe, you’re the professional in this. If this plan really succeeds, it’s most likely your company that will get the contract. We’re all inexperienced, even if we get the project, we’ll have to find planners and construction workers temporarily, we can’t even gather enough people!”
“Roswell, you’re going too far. You’re a watchmaker, what are you doing meddling in construction projects?”
Roswell tugged at his collar and said with disdain, “I really didn’t want to say anything. But Lowe’s disrespectful attitude towards Mr. Hastings really gets under my skin. I don’t know what kind of rude person could utter such words in a gathering of respectable gentlemen, suggesting that we should eliminate Britain’s most talented young musician and researcher in the field of electromagnetism.”
“Musician? Researcher?”
“When did this young fellow take on these two identities?”
Seeing everyone puzzled, Roswell couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. He pretended to be surprised and said, “You guys don’t know? Oh, sorry, I almost forgot, even though we’re all refined and tasteful Liverpool gentlemen, not every gentleman is passionate about scientific pursuits and musical arts. But I suggest you all pay attention to these areas, lest you become like Lowe, radiating the stench of nouveau riche all over.”
Roswell hadn’t been smug for long when, on the other side, old Gladstone, who had been silent the whole time watching the drama unfold, suddenly spoke up to taunt, “Robert, by the way, how did you know about Mr. Hastings’ other identities? Did Catherine tell you?”
Roswell didn’t mind the truth being exposed by old Gladstone, not only did he not mind, he even took the opportunity to raise his daughter’s status.
“That’s right, my daughter told me. She’s always loved science and music, whenever anything new comes out in London, she wants to get it and study it. Like that phonograph, she begged me to buy it for her as soon as it came out. Although it’s quite expensive, and you have to buy accompanying records, but for the sake of cultivating her refined taste, what’s a little money for an old father? Although Catherine wasn’t born into an aristocratic family, the cultivation of her character that I provide is definitely of aristocratic level.”
Old Gladstone was simply trying to give this old fellow a hard time, but when he heard that Roswell dared to compete with him on the education of their children, the lifelong competitive old Gladstone immediately felt a sense of rivalry.
He deliberately avoided looking at Roswell, only calmly sipping his tea, “Oh? Is that so? Did Catherine attend Harrow or Eton, did she have her university lectures in Cambridge or Oxford in England? Or perhaps Edinburgh or Glasgow in Scotland? Oh, if all else fails, a University of London like Mr. Hastings’ would do. With Lord Brougham, the Lord Chancellor, backing her, she’ll at least have some background.”
Roswell, upon hearing this, was so angry that he almost popped his springs.
Old Gladstone knew that neither Harrow, Eton, nor the universities he mentioned, including Cambridge, Oxford, or even the most progressive University of London, admitted women. At most, the University of London currently allowed women to occasionally audit classes.
He asked such a question, clearly wanting to pick a fight.
But Roswell also understood why the old man was constantly taunting him, simply wanting to spoil the budding romance between his son and his daughter.
Knowing where the other man’s pain points were, Roswell struck precisely, “Yes, Catherine, as a girl, naturally can’t compare to William in terms of knowledge and insight. But precisely because of her shortcomings in this area, she needs a capable husband to lead her forward. Fortunately, although Catherine doesn’t have much knowledge, her musical taste is very similar to William’s. John, please convey my gratitude to William on my behalf, I am very grateful that he is willing to agree to my daughter’s unreasonable request, to ask Mr. Hastings for a score of “To Hastings” signed by Mr. Chopin.”
Old Gladstone, hearing half of the words, thought that the old watchmaker had finally given up, but when he heard the rest, the twist in the plot made his heart skip a beat, almost spitting the tea he had just taken a sip of into Roswell’s face.
“What did you say? This is ridiculous! How could William do such a foolish thing! Doesn’t he know that Mr. Hastings is extremely busy? How could he possibly have the time to care about such trivial matters!”
Having said that, old Gladstone quickly stood up and bid farewell to the other old fellows, “I’ve had enough breakfast, I need to go to the company and check the accounts, see if there are any missed customs duties that haven’t been reported. By the way, I sincerely suggest that you all, while it’s still early, check your accounts for the past few months. Mr. Herbert from the city council spoke to me yesterday, they are fully supporting Mr. Hastings, and the Customs Service, Customs House, and Port Authority seem to be getting serious. At this critical juncture, you all must not disgrace the Liverpool Association.”
Unexpectedly, before he could go far, Lowe stepped forward and stopped him, “John, about the urban development project?”
“That ah? That…” Old Gladstone smiled and moved his hand off his shoulder, “Let’s talk about that later.”
With that, old Gladstone, like an eagle leaping off a cliff, flapped his wings and intended to fly out of the hall.
At this moment, a speeding carriage, carrying a cloud of dust, made a sharp turn and stopped in front of the Liverpool Association Club.
Before the carriage even came to a complete stop, two people jumped out.
They were both sweating profusely, running and shouting, “Gentlemen, bad news! Inspector Hastings, he… he was stabbed in front of the Golden Lion Inn!”
“Ah?!” Old Gladstone’s smile froze, even his left leg that had already stepped out stopped in place, “Who did it?”
As soon as these words were uttered, the old gentlemen who had been buried in their newspapers all lowered their newspapers as if they had made an appointment, all looking at old Gladstone behind Lowe.
Roswell also tightened his spring and slapped his forehead, unable to help but swear, “Lowe? You’re a goddamn idiot! If he dies, you’ll be paving the road for the Life Guards!”
Lowe was also frightened, his old face turned pale. He glared and shouted, “Roswell! Do you think I’m like you, I have a brain! If I was really planning to kill him, why would I join you in paying the dues?”
Roswell rolled his eyes, the old watchmaker stroked his chin and analyzed, “Maybe you’re trying to clear your own suspicion, who knows?”
Lowe wished he could go back in time and slap his past self. What was he talking about?
He swore, “I swear on God, if I did it, let me go to hell with Mr. Hastings.”
The messenger who came to deliver the news, hearing this, quickly clarified, “Mr. Lowe, don’t rush to hell just yet, Mr. Hastings is still alive.”
“That’s right, he got a little hurt. But overall, he’s still bouncing around, even has the energy to get angry.”
Old Gladstone, hearing this, let out a long sigh of relief.
He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, turned back to Lowe and stared at him for a long time before asking, “Lowe, tell me the truth, it wasn’t you, was it?”
Lowe was furious, “Why do you all suspect me?”
Roswell frowned, “The last time Prime Minister Percival was assassinated, it was also a businessman, that assassin Bellingham, he was also a import-export agent. Plus, you were so rude before. Lowe, it’s really hard not to suspect you.”
Lowe, seeing everyone focusing their attention on him, was so anxious that even his brain started to work.
He argued, “How can I be compared to that Bellingham? Bellingham went bankrupt because he was detained in Russia, he wanted compensation but was kicked back and forth between the Foreign Office and the Treasury, so he had no choice but to grab a gun and go to the House of Commons to ambush people. He always argued that he wanted to assassinate the ambassador to Russia, but he mistook the target and killed the Prime Minister. Mr. Hastings didn’t bankrupt me, and I know what he looks like. Why would I abandon my business that earns me four or five thousand pounds a year and go to the gallows?”
Roswell was full of doubts, “Do you believe Bellingham’s defense? He killed the wrong person, and it just happened to be the Prime Minister, what a coincidence. Lowe, have you colluded with the East India Company to screw us over?”
“East India Company?”
As soon as the merchants present heard this name, they all wrinkled their noses.
Some even directly addressed old Gladstone, “Although Lowe might not have been involved, the East India Company certainly has a motive. Ever since we joined forces with those in London to persuade Parliament to revoke their monopoly over India, they’ve been holding a grudge against us.”
“If that’s the case, John, you’re in danger too. Everyone knows that the first Liverpool merchant ship to sail to India, the “Kingsmuir,” is your property. If this matter blows up, if Parliament decides to support Bristol instead of Liverpool, we’ll all be screwed.”
Old Gladstone, hearing this, his face grew increasingly grim, “The East India Company? It’s not impossible… come to think of it, I remember Mr. Hastings has some people from the East India Company around him. If it was them, they really prepared this well! But… aren’t they afraid of being found out? They lost their monopoly over India during the last charter renewal. If this matter is also confirmed, they probably won’t even be able to keep their monopoly on Chinese tea the next time they renew the charter…”
Roswell, hearing this, pulled old Gladstone out, “Why not? They’re desperate. Let’s go to the Golden Lion Inn and take a look, we need to get ourselves out of this first, and then we can consider how to give those bastards from the East India Company a taste of our power. If they dare to frame us, we’ll fight back and leave them with nothing! The East India Company? Haha! We, the Liverpool Association, are not to be trifled with!”
(End of Chapter)
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