British hegemon

Chapter 123 Private Actions

With the death of John III, Baron of Arran, a faint sense of unease began to hang over the island.

The young John IV clearly did not yet possess the abilities of a qualified great lord. Just one week after becoming Baron of Arron, he did several things that displeased the lords and gentry of the island.

On the third day after his accession, John the White-Faced was impatient and revoked the old baron's order. He recalled the White-Faced Chicken-Eating Servant who had been banished to the North Island Estate as a shepherd and appointed him as a baron's advisor so that he could always be by his side.

If that were all, the lords would only think that the new baron was not following the old baron's will and was accompanied by treacherous villains, which would ultimately be just a problem of the lord himself.

But the newly appointed "Baron's Advisor" then gave Whiteface John an utterly foolish idea—in order to make up for the enormous expenses of fifty bills incurred by the Baron's mansion for the old Baron's funeral and the new Baron's coronation ceremony, all free citizens of Arran Island should pay a "mourning tax" of one-twentieth of the value of their land and movable property.

Although the first tax decree issued by the new baron after his succession was forced to be circumvented before it could be officially implemented due to the strong opposition of the old baroness, the islanders, especially the lords and gentry, were dissatisfied with the new baron's nascent tyrannical rule.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Roger began making moves in secret...

In late February, in western Scotland, snowflakes mixed with freezing rain fell endlessly onto the silvery-white earth.

A blizzard that began three days ago plunged the entire island of Arran into complete silence, and Milk House Manor was buried under a blanket of white snow, fast asleep.

Even the manor dwellers, who were busy repairing fences, mending houses, and performing corvée labor for the lord, had to stop their busy work and hide in thatched huts, shivering in fear.

A pair of nearly new black leather boots stepped into the snowdrift. A thug in coarse black trousers and a black coat stopped, pulled up his shiny sleeve to wipe his face, and wiped away the snot that was about to spill from his nose. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, he made a bouncy, shuffling motion towards the gate of the milk house manor. Soon after, a dog barked and the creaking sound of the manor gate opening and closing rang out...

In the study on the first floor of the mansion, Bald Neil gulped down a large bowl of steaming meat soup, then turned back to look at the kitchen with a lingering sense of satisfaction, still holding the empty bowl.

Roger kicked bald Neil in the shin. "Let's get down to business first. Go to the kitchen and eat your fill later."

Bald Neil turned his head and sniffed hard, then gave a forced smile and said seriously, "Sir, Sir Gildonan has clearly stated his willingness to invest fifteen pounds in your textile mill, and he asked me to pass on a message to you." As he spoke, he leaned close to Roger's ear and covered Roger's ear with his hand.

Roger slapped it away, "There's no one else here, who are you trying to show this to?"

Bald Neil chuckled awkwardly, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, and whispered, "He said he's willing to become your ally."

Roger was taken aback by what he heard. After his uncle John passed away, Roger did have some different thoughts, but he tried his best to show his support for the white-faced man in public. Gildonian's words should not be because he saw through his intentions.

But Roger was also secretly wary; those guys from the Baron's mansion were no good, and they would eventually see through his thoughts.

Bald Neil continued, "The lord of Gilmori is cunning. He didn't meet me directly, but had his steward speak to me. They are worried about losing free farmers, so they only plan to send two capable serfs to work in our textile mill."

"The conditions were that the textile mills must guarantee that the serfs would not escape, and that the serfs' wages must be paid directly to their masters."

The economic conditions of serfs on the island of Arran were similar to those of ordinary commoners, but they were politically inferior. Commoners were people under the rule of lords, while serfs were the private property of lords and did not possess the attributes of "human beings".

"The lord of Pienmir ignored me, but one of his sergeants offered to use his small sailboat to buy wool and mountain goods for us throughout Argyll."

"I also visited the knight who arrived last year. His squire said he left the island, but I suspect someone was eavesdropping outside the door. I guess it was that gentleman. I conveyed your goodwill to the squire."

"These are the lords and gentry who are currently willing to associate with us. As for the others..." Bald Neil felt that he had failed to complete the important task that Roger had secretly assigned to him, and his mood was inevitably a little down.

"Sir?" Seeing no response for a while, bald Neil looked up and called out to Roger, who was lost in thought.

"Hmm..." Roger hummed softly through his nose, half-closing his narrow eyes and pondering for a moment. "You've done very well."

After saying that, he opened the drawer in front of him, took out two silver pennies, and tossed them onto the table with a clink. "Take these and buy two beers to soothe your throat."

He then instructed, "In the future, you must be more discreet about these kinds of things."

Bald Neil picked up the silver coins on the table with a happy look on his face, blinked his toad-like eyes a few times as usual, and patted his chest to assure them, "Don't worry, the people on Alan Island have been staying at home like dead dogs these past two days, and haven't been wandering around."

"Besides, I always sneak into the mansions when no one is looking. Although I get beaten and scolded, people will only think that I was caught stealing chickens and dogs by the lords and gentry."

Roger nodded in satisfaction. The lords and gentry whom Bald Neil had secretly visited this time were either people who were beginning to feel dissatisfied with Whiteface John's rule or who had previously intended to befriend Milk House Manor.

The reason for their friendship was simply to jointly participate in the operation of Roger's thriving factories or overseas trade, so as not to appear too conspicuous.

At this time, the lords and gentry of Aran Island were clearly in a wait-and-see state. They were not optimistic about the new baron's rule, but they also had doubts about this "devilish young master" who seemed to have undergone a tremendous change.

Fortunately, Sir Gildonian is leading the way. He lost power during the old baron's time, and now that the new baron has taken over, it will be even more difficult for him to turn things around. Therefore, he is wholeheartedly optimistic about the "new talents" of the Isle of Arran.

"Bald man," Roger called out.

"My lord." Bald Neil lowered his bald head and leaned closer.

"Go find the old butler and have him select some of the more valuable southern goods from the storeroom, load them onto a wagon, and personally deliver them to Sir Gildonian's estate this afternoon. Also, please invite him to a banquet at the Moulin Rouge tomorrow evening to celebrate him becoming the first shareholder of Campbell Textile Mill."

Bald Neil listened and nodded, but when he heard the word "shareholder," he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what exactly is a shareholder?"

"Uh~ this shareholder, well, he's the big boss."

"Oh, I see." Bald Neil's head was still a mess, but his face showed a look of understanding.

"Can I go to the Moulin Rouge with you tomorrow? Sergeant Marne has been getting increasingly cruel to me lately." Recently, Earl with the ponytail has been sent to the mainland to gather intelligence, and his black dog Sigurd is often by Roger's side.

Of the three thugs, only Bald Neil remains, forced to train every day by Marne and Olaf. Yesterday, Roger arranged for him to secretly visit several lords and gentry. Having tasted the sweetness of freedom, he really didn't want to return to Marne's side to sweat, cry, and bleed.

"We do a job where you could lose your head at any moment. If Sergeant Marne isn't tough on you, your head might be chopped off any day now," Roger yelled, pointing at the bald, good-for-nothing Neil. "You bastard, you don't know what's good for you!"

Bald Neil lowered his head, took two steps back, and muttered a few words under his breath.

"Here's what we'll do: hire two brave and reliable men on the island, one penny a day, paid daily, and take them with you to Glasgow. I'm planning to open a new shop in Glasgow and need manpower to deal with the local thugs."

"Come back after the shop opens."

Bald Neil was overjoyed upon hearing this. Dealing with thugs and hooligans was definitely his specialty. Now that he was a "person of status," he was naturally willing to show off, especially in a big town like Glasgow.

Seeing Neil's dazed and disoriented state, Roger knew that the guy was probably fantasizing about being powerful and influential in a Glasgow brothel. He couldn't help but kick Neil, saying, "I sent you to Glasgow to clear the way for Kader. If you dare to mess around, you bastard, I'll chop your thing up."

Bald Neil covered his crotch with his left hand and patted the footprints on his trouser leg with his right hand, grinning, "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare to delay your business, sir."

"Get out of here. Have Blackie prepare the saddle for my horse. I'm going to the textile mill. Oh, and tell the foreman Tom to bring two carpenters with me. We need to take advantage of the mill's holiday to repair the textile machinery."

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