I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1106 Join forces
An excited shout erupted from the tavern:
"Mr. Baxter is right, hang those corrupt officials!"

"We need true freedom..."

"Return the right to life to the people!"

"First, bring down that damn sugar price..."

Baxter raised his hand to signal people to be quiet and said loudly, "Whether they are corrupt officials or ruthless factory owners and landowners, their privileges all come from the council that protects them."

"To reclaim the rights that have been taken from us, we must abolish the 'rotten constituencies' and give all free British people the right to vote!"
"Recently, due to the soaring sugar prices, there have been protests everywhere in the streets. We at the London News Agency must seize this opportunity to organize as many members and workers as possible to petition the government!"

The so-called "London Press" is a civil rights organization founded five years ago by shoemaker Thomas Hardy. It advocates for universal suffrage, annual parliamentary elections, the abolition of corrupt constituencies, and demands for respect for people's human rights and freedoms, as well as protection of workers' rights.

Just three years after its founding, the London News Agency had already grown to 70 branches and tens of thousands of members. It could easily organize demonstrations involving tens of thousands of people.

However, two years ago, Hadi was falsely accused of treason and arrested, along with several other senior executives of the news agency, which plunged the agency into a slump.

This time, the soaring sugar prices have sparked public outrage, especially among industrial workers who have been the hardest hit. Many factory owners have even sided with the workers—mostly because they cannot tolerate the increasingly low operating rates.

The recent surge in applications to join the London News Agency has given hope to senior members of the organization, including Francis Press.

Baxter waved his hand vigorously: "Headquarters has decided to organize at least 20,000 people to protest at St. James's Palace next Friday..."

He had only spoken halfway when the tavern door was suddenly pushed open, or perhaps kicked open, with a loud "bang".

The tavern owner instinctively turned around and said, "I'm sorry, we're closed to the public today..."

He suddenly shut his mouth because he saw Sheriff Bray of St. Giles appear at the door with a gun in his hand.

Immediately, fifty or sixty patrolmen rushed in, while several men with swords stood guard outside each window.

“This is a private party,” Baxter said without fear. “Please leave immediately!”

The parish judge emerged from behind the sheriff, waving the documents in his hand: "John Baxter, you are guilty of sedition."

"Toby Howard, you are guilty of participating in a riot..."

“Mike Matthews, you have committed…”

As he read out each name, Bray signaled the patrolmen to come forward and arrest the individuals.

Baxter protested loudly, "You have no right to do this! I want to see a lawyer!"

No one ignored him.

Twenty minutes later, a dozen London News Agency employees, their hands bound, were escorted by a patrol armed with swords and spears to Clink Prison.

The next day.

A very special guest arrived at the secret meeting room of the London news agency.

News agency leader Francis Press returned the greeting briefly, brought the man a chair, and said, "Frankly, I never imagined I would be working with the Irish."

"However, we may become the closest partners in the future."

Thomas Emmett, the foreign affairs chief of the United Irish Association, sat down in a chair and said in a low voice, "Britain is now like a pile of tinder doused with oil. If we join forces, we can certainly make it burn fiercely."

Yes, the London Press Service has tens of thousands of members, and while the Irish Association's base is on the island of Ireland, it wouldn't be difficult for them to gather a thousand people in London. The Irish population may seem small, but more than a quarter of them are radical nationalists willing to fight the police, possessing formidable fighting power.

Press nodded: "Do you already have a plan?"

Emmett pulled out a map: "We plan to hold simultaneous demonstrations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and other cities, blocking important buildings such as city halls and courts, and forcing Parliament to accept our conditions!"

Looking at the clearly marked routes of advance and retreat on the map, Press couldn't help but rub his hands together excitedly: "People in other regions will definitely follow suit, but it may take a long time to get the parliament to yield."

"We have plenty of patience and perseverance!"

……

London.

In Jonathan's Cafe, stockbroker Montes leisurely savored his desserts, chatting and laughing with his old friend Grabby, his face showing no trace of the gloom he had felt when his stocks were forfeited.

The door to the cafe was pushed open, and a blond man in his thirties entered.

He quickly located Montes, hurried over, and whispered, "Boss, just as you predicted, Genoa Union Credit and Standard & Poor's International have both downgraded Chatham's rating to Caa."

"Right now, the exchange is in complete chaos, everyone is frantically selling, and the closing price today is likely to be below £10 per share."

Chatham Shipbuilding only went public on the London Stock Exchange at the end of last year. Thanks to the huge positive news of "more than 200 orders for steam paddle steamers", the share price soared to £34 per share in just three days.

Now, however, the news of "massive cancellations of steamship orders" has driven prices down to £10.

The blond man looked at Montes: "Boss, do you think we should start taking profits?"

The latter smiled slightly and asked Grabi, "How many chips do we have left?"

"Not too many, about 2800 shares."

Montes nodded and gestured with a finger to the blond man: "Adams, get rid of them all for me."

Adams hesitated: "But if that happens, we'll be helpless in the event of a rapid rebound."

"Don't make me repeat myself, throw it now."

"Okay, boss."

After Adams left, Montes immediately pulled Graby aside and said, "Let's go talk to Mr. Corey Porter. I know he still has more than 3 shares of Chatham."

"Our profit target is below £5 per share."

Yes, he suffered heavy losses after the last Bolton-Watt crash due to buyer defaults, and even had to sell his house in Westminster.

But he did not become discouraged. Instead, he keenly noticed that Chatham Shipyard was heavily reliant on Bolton-Watt's products.

He then conducted an on-site investigation and determined that the shipyard would be severely hampered by Bolton-Watt.

So he persuaded several bankers to invest a total of £100,000 to short Chatham's stock.

Just then, Engine52 experienced widespread cylinder leaks, preventing the delivery of steam paddle steamers and making his short-selling operation remarkably effective.

(End of this chapter)