Chapter 338 Business Competition?

Liverpool, Merseyside, Lime Street.

As the core transportation city of the UK and an important hub for shipping in Europe, Liverpool accounts for more than 40% of transatlantic trade in Europe.

Lime Street, known as the King's Cross of Liverpool, has always occupied a very special position in Liverpool's municipal planning and transportation planning.

One kilometer west of here is Liverpool's busy dock area.

Standing on a high building and looking west.

Lined up from north to south are: the old dock that mainly deals with African and Irish trade, the Salthouse dock that mainly deals with grain and timber trade, the St. George dock that mainly deals with West Indies trade, the King's dock that is full of trade ships from the Americas and the Baltic coast, and the Queen's dock that is mainly used for Greenland fishing business.

At the corners of the five major docks, it is the world of construction workers. The Brunswick Dock, funded by the General Administration of Customs, is expected to be completed next year. After that, the young men of this Liverpool dock family will take on the responsibility of timber trade between Britain and the Canadian colonies, and be responsible for the continuous import of century-old oak for the construction of large warships for the Royal Navy.

Just across Lime Street is Liverpool's famous maritime workshop area, where countless workshops specializing in the production of ship supporting equipment gather here, from sailing ropes, sails and copper rivets wrapped around the bottom of the ship, to simple iron components, or wooden barrels for storing fresh water and crew members' favorite beer cups. You can buy everything that can be used on the ship here.

Such an important area naturally attracted the attention of major import and export trading companies and real estate developers.

Since Liverpool's port attributes were confirmed in the 17th century, the land price here has been rising steadily. Although Liverpool's trade was hit hard by the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of this century, after Napoleon, the biggest bearer of Liverpool's housing prices, was defeated at Waterloo, the land price of Lime Street began to grow rapidly and retaliatory like Liverpool's import and export throughput.

Nowadays, those who can get a piece of land on Lime Street are either local old nobles, the best of the nouveau riche, or those traditional organizations with a long history.

Speaking of Liverpool's traditional organizations with a long history, as Liverpool citizens often joke, if God is the boss, then the Liverpool Association is the second.

In the club hall where Liverpool Association members often gather, more than a dozen silver-haired people are quietly nestling in the sofa, reading newspapers and drinking tea.

For these old guys, it has almost become a habit to come to the club before going to the company.

In such a place where businessmen gather, you will always hear a lot of reliable gossip. And these news can often make you a fortune or save your belongings in your pocket without you noticing.

"John, although I didn't go to the party last night, I heard that the guy from London seemed to have mentioned a new municipal construction plan to you? The total value is 200,000 pounds?"

Old Gladstone switched his legs and continued to cross his legs, buried his face in the newspaper and replied without raising his head: "It's just a rumor, painting a pie for us. In my opinion! It may not succeed in the end. Mr. Hastings probably doesn't want to make things too awkward with us, so after scolding the Customs Department, he wants to give everyone some sweet treats to hang on."

Old pocket watch Rothwell also echoed: "That's right. The robbers in the Ministry of Finance are all dogs. They will bite to death when they see money. It's not so easy to pick a few pieces of meat from their rotten teeth. A superintendent of Scotland Yard may not even be able to arrest all the criminals in London. Why is he confident that he can compete with the Ministry of Finance?"

Silver The old gentleman glanced at them, raised his eyebrows and said suspiciously: "Oh! Is this God's eyes, the sun is out in London? When can you two old guys chat together?"

Roswell held the teacup and savored the tea carefully: "Lovi, what you said is too harsh. Aren't John and I talking to you?"

Old gentleman Lovi narrowed his eyes and said: "Really? Towards me, I didn't hear it at all, but the sound of the pocket watch was buzzing in my head. My dear Mr. Roswell, it turns out that your new factory is not in London, but on my forehead! You two are not going to eat the 200,000 pounds without telling everyone, right? You have a big appetite!"

Roswell didn't care about the sarcasm at all. As a member of the Liverpool Association, the old pocket watch has been studying how to deal with friendly merchants for 20 to 30 years.

He said, "Lovi, to tell you the truth, why don't you believe it? The municipal construction project is just a concept for the time being. Do you know what a concept is? Concepts are unreliable. As long as the shovel doesn't hit the ground, it won't count. And didn't you plan to send someone to teach that ungrateful London kid a lesson? What did you say? When I was sailing in Africa, a shipload of slaves was only worth 8,000 pounds, and there was a possibility of malaria. This time, everyone didn't let you participate because of your poor health. You can't even stand malaria, so wouldn't it be worse if you got cholera?"

When Mr. Lowe heard this, he angrily picked up his cane and knocked on the floor repeatedly: "Roswell, you old watchmaker, do you know about municipal construction? Are you still planning to pave a road on King Street with a pocket watch? You can't even fucking connect the church tower. The clock you hang is too hard to move, so you are not afraid of God’s punishment and will punish you, you old man!”

Roswell retorted: "Yes! You know municipal construction. Since you stopped running boats, you have been studying streets every day. After studying for more than ten years, the road finally paved is so muddy that it can make my pants legs jump when I step on it. This It’s the construction quality of your construction company.”

Lovi blushed angrily when he heard this and emphasized: "Isn't that because the money allocated by the city committee for the project is not equal? ​​If those sons of bitches can deliver at least the same as the Brunswick Pier built under the supervision of the General Administration of Customs. With 70% of the project cost, I guarantee that the streets of Liverpool will be paved better than the halls of the Palace of Westminster!”

Seeing that the old man was anxious, the others hurriedly spoke out to comfort him.

"Lovi, you are a professional at doing this. If this plan really succeeds, your company will probably win the bid. For those of us who are inexperienced, even if the project is given to us in the end and we are asked to temporarily find planners and construction workers, we will not be able to do it. We can’t get enough people together!”

"Roswell, you're almost done. You're in the pocket watch business, why do you get involved in engineering construction?"

Roswell tugged at his tie and said contemptuously: "Originally I didn't want to speak. But Lowe's disrespectful attitude towards Mr. Hastings really made me unable to stand it. I don't know what kind of rude person he is. , only then can he make a big statement at a gathering of respectable gentlemen and propose to everyone that he wants to kill Britain's most talented young musician and researcher in the field of electromagnetism."

"Musician? Researcher?"

"When did that young man assume such two identities again?"

Seeing that everyone was confused, Roswell couldn't help but feel a little proud. He pretended to be surprised and said: "You don't know yet? Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot. Although everyone here is an elegant and stylish Liverpool gentleman, But not every gentleman is keen on science and music and art. However, I suggest that you should pay attention to these aspects to avoid becoming like Lowe, who smells like a nouveau riche."

Roswell had not been proud for long. On the other end, Old Gladstone, who had been silently watching the show, suddenly spoke up and said, "Robert, by the way, how did you know Mr. Hastings's other identity? Could it be Catherine who told you?"

Roswell didn't care that the truth was exposed by Old Gladstone. Not only did he not care, Old Pocket Watch even took the opportunity to raise his daughter's worth.

"Yes, that's what my girl told me. She has always been fond of science and music. Whenever something new comes out in London, she wants to get it back and study it. For example, that gramophone, she loves it as soon as it comes out. Begging me to buy it for her. Although this thing is quite expensive, and it also has to buy matching records, but in order to cultivate her elegant taste, what does it mean for the old father to spend some money? Although Catherine was not born in a noble family, I provided it to her. Her temperament is definitely aristocratic.”

Old Gladstone was originally a displeased old guy who just wanted some yin and yang, but when he heard that Roswell actually dared to compare with him on the education of his children, Old Gladstone, who had been stronger in his life, suddenly got angry. The competitive mentality.

He deliberately did not look at Roswell, and just sipped the tea calmly: "Oh? Really? Did Catherine go to Harrow College or Eton College, and was the university taught in Cambridge or Oxford in England? Or in Scotland? Edinburgh or Glasgow? Oh, that’s really not possible. You can also study at London University like Mr. Hastings. With the support of Lord Justice Brougham, you can still gain some grounding.”

When Roswell heard this, he was so angry that he almost jumped out of his mouth.

Old Gladstone knew that no women were admitted to Harrow, Eton, or the universities he mentioned such as Cambridge and Oxford. Even the University of London, currently the most liberal in Britain, only allows women to attend occasionally.

By asking such a question, he clearly wanted to cause trouble.

But Roswell also understood why the old man was running against him everywhere. He just wanted to disturb the budding love between his son and his daughter.

Roswell, who was well aware of the opponent's pain points, struck with precision and said: "Yes. As a girl, Catherine certainly cannot compare with young talents like William in terms of knowledge and knowledge. But precisely because of her shortcomings in this area, That’s why she needs a capable husband to take her forward. Fortunately, although Catherine is not very knowledgeable, her taste in music is very similar to William. John, please convey my gratitude to William. , I am very grateful that he is willing to agree to my daughter’s rude request to ask Mr. Hastings for a copy of the score of "Der Hastings" signed by Mr. Chopin."

When Old Gladstone heard half of what he said, he thought that Old Pocket Watch had finally given up. But when he heard what happened later, the twists and turns of the plot made his heart tremble, and he almost sprayed the tea in his mouth into Roswell's face. Go up.

"What are you talking about? This is nonsense! How could this boy William do such a stupid thing! Doesn't he know that Mr. Hastings has everything on his plate? How can he have the time to care about such trivial things!"

Having said this, Old Gladstone quickly stood up and said goodbye to all the old guys: "Breakfast is almost done. I have to go to the company to look through the accounts to see if there are any missing tariffs that have not been reported. By the way, , I also sincerely suggest to you that it is best to take a good look at the accounts of the past few months while it is still early today. Mr. Herbert of the Municipal Committee communicated with me yesterday, and they are doing their best to support the black people. Mr. Stings, and it seems that the Customs Department, the Customs Department and the Port Authority are going to take serious action. At this juncture, you can't put a black mark on the face of our Liverpool Association. "

Unexpectedly, before he had gone far, Lowe stepped forward and stopped him: "John, what about the municipal construction project?"

"That? That..." Old Gladstone smiled and moved his hand on his shoulder a little further: "Let's postpone that discussion later."

After saying this, old Gladstone was like an eagle jumping off the cliff, fluttering his wings and planning to fly out of the hall.

At this moment, a speeding carriage, carrying smoke and dust all over the sky, swerved and stopped in front of the Liverpool Association Club.

Before the car stopped, two people jumped out of the car.

They were sweating profusely as they ran and shouted: "Gentlemen, something bad has happened! Superintendent Hastings, he...he was assassinated in front of the Golden Lion Hotel!"

"Ah?!" Old Gladstone's smile froze, and even his kicked-out left leg stayed in place: "Who did it?"

As soon as these words came out, the old gentlemen who had just been immersed in reading the newspapers put down their newspapers together as if they had made an appointment, and all looked at Lowe behind Old Gladstone.

Roswell also wound up the clockwork and slapped him on the forehead. He couldn't help but cursed: "Lovie? Are you a fucking idiot? If he dies, you can pave the way for the Guards Cavalry Regiment!"

Luo Wei was also frightened and his face turned pale. He glared and angrily shouted: "Roswell! You think I am you, I have a fucking brain! If I am planning to kill him, when you pay the money, I will follow suit." What a fart!"

Roswell rolled his eyes, Old Pocket Watch pinched his chin and analyzed: "Maybe you are trying to clear yourself of suspicion?"

At this time, Luo Wei just wished he could go back in time and slap his original self. What could he have said?

He swore to heaven: "I swear to God, if I really did this, let me accompany Mr. Hastings to hell."

When the messenger who came to report heard this, he quickly clarified: "Mr. Lowe, don't go down in a hurry. Mr. Hastings is still up there."

"Yes, he was slightly injured. But overall he is still alive and kicking, and he even has the energy to lose his temper."

When Old Gladstone heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Has the doctor been sent over?"

"The doctor was contacted to give him stitches, and Mr. Kessler of the Board of Health did it himself. There could not have been a better surgeon in Liverpool."

After hearing this, Old Gladstone finally felt relieved.

He wiped the cold sweat from his head, turned around and stared at Luo Wei for a long time, and then asked: "Luo Wei, tell me the truth, is it really not you who did it?"

Luo Wei was furious and said: "What do you all doubt about me?"

Roswell frowned and said: "The person who assassinated Prime Minister Percival before was also a businessman. The assassin Bellingham was also in the import and export agency business. In addition, you also made rude remarks before. Lowe, it is really difficult for us not to doubt you."

Luo Wei saw that everyone was focusing their attention on him, and he was so anxious that his brain became easier to use.

He argued: "Can I be the same as that Bellingham? Bellingham was detained in Russia and went bankrupt. He wanted compensation but was kicked back and forth by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. So he had no choice but to grab a gun and run away. There were people in the House of Commons. And he always argued that he wanted to assassinate the ambassador to Russia, but he got the wrong person, so he killed the Prime Minister. First of all, Mr. Hastings didn't bankrupt me, and secondly, I knew what he looked like. . Why should I give up my business of four to five thousand pounds a year and go to fight with the gallows?"

Roswell's face was full of doubts: "Do you believe Bellingham's defense? The wrong person was killed, and the Prime Minister happened to be killed. This coincidence is really amazing. Lowe, are you related to the East India Company people? Are you colluding and planning to trick us? "

"East India Company?"

The businessmen present wrinkled their noses when they heard the name.

Some people even spoke directly to Old Gladstone: "Although Lowe may not have been involved in this matter, the East India Company really had the motive to do this. Since we joined forces with the people in London to persuade Parliament to monopolize their India area, After the power was removed, they have always hated us. "

"If that's the case, John, you are in danger. Everyone knows that the first merchant ship from Liverpool to India, the Kingsmill, is your property. If this matter gets too big, by then If the council supports Bristol instead of Liverpool, we'll all be blind."

When Old Gladstone heard this, his face became increasingly ugly: "East India Company? It's not impossible... Speaking of which, I remember that there were people from the East India Company around Mr. Hastings. If they really did it, then they were really well prepared! But... aren't they afraid of being found out? They lost their Indian franchise when the charter was renewed last time. Let’s be honest, when the renewal is next time, they probably won’t even be able to keep the tea franchise in China…”

After hearing this, Roswell pulled Old Gladstone out and said, "It's impossible. It's just a dog jumping over the wall. Let's go to the Golden Lion Hotel first. After all, we have to get ourselves out first, and then we can think about what to do." Show some shame to those East India bitches. If they dare to make false accusations, we will sit back and leave them with nothing! Haha! Our Liverpool Association is not easy to mess with!