Governa'

As soon as Dutch reminded him, Davey recalled that period, Dutch getting shot, and Mac.

Poor Mac, he was the only Van der Linde Gang member who wasn't doing well now, which was truly regrettable.

However, perhaps Mac was doing quite well among the wolves, at least enough to kill one without breaking a sweat.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, your actions truly move me deeply! I never thought I could follow a true Governor! This truly...astonishes me!"

Just as he was speaking, Mr. Trelawny also came out, the shock on his face far exceeding Davey's.

He was a smart man; how could he not see what a mess the Van der Linde Gang had been before? This was also why he associated with the gang but never truly integrated.

Occasionally coming over to relay messages and earn some money was enough for him and his family's living expenses.

Even when Dutch opened a clothing store before, he was greatly surprised, unable to believe that these outlaws would even consider changing professions.

And now, it wasn't just surprise; it was a shock that almost made his entire mind reel.

He participated in the establishment of the Veteran Club, and he watched the clothing factory get started.

But why did these two things combine to form a Governor?

He couldn't imagine any way to combine these two things into the identity of a Governor, and he found it even more unbelievable that after being sent out on a mission, he returned to become an elder of the Van der Linde Gang, a figure by the Governor's side!

Damn it, to say it was a meteoric rise was no exaggeration!

"Hahahaha, Trelawny, you did very well in this operation, very well! Your wife is now an employee of the Saint Denis City Government, and your son has entered Saint Denis School. And now, I officially appoint you as a Saint Denis Government Senator. In addition, your family has moved to Hattie Manor—oh no, it has now been renamed Trelawny Manor.

I told you before, Mr. Trelawny, I consider you a partner. So you deserve your due reward." Dutch patted Trelawny's shoulder, a smile and praise on his face.

This person was somewhat different from the Van der Linde Gang members; he didn't have much sense of belonging to the Van der Linde Gang. Although his performance in the game showed that he had some backbone, or perhaps he was simply afraid of being silenced by Arthur and the others. But no matter what, he was much better than Mac.

However, precisely because he had no sense of belonging to the Van der Linde Gang, Dutch gave him such generous compensation. As for Davey, Bill, and Javier, Dutch never mentioned any compensation.

Because if these true core members of the gang needed money, they could go directly to Mr. Strauss, and whatever they wanted to do, Dutch would unconditionally support them. This was unlike Trelawny, who was an external, unattached individual. (Perhaps you all have different opinions, feel free to express them, and I will revise)

At this moment, upon hearing Dutch's reward, Mr. Trelawny trembled with excitement.

"Oh, Dutch, can I, can I, can I really be a Senator of Saint Denis? Oh, no, Dutch, I feel I can't handle it; this position is too high; I definitely can't do it!" Mr. Trelawny trembled all over with excitement.

A Senator! This was a Senator! When Sheriff Malloy heard that the Senator's wife was coming, he gave them the green light all the way and staunchly supported Dutch, which showed how significant the status represented by this identity was.

"Hahaha, don't decline, Mr. Trelawny. The identity of a Saint Denis Senator is merely an identity now; it can only bring you endless wealth, and it won't be like before. Moreover, this identity can only serve as a reward now; as for the so-called elections and power, that still depends on what I say! So accept it with confidence. With this identity, you can maintain such a large manor and its expenses!" Dutch laughed heartily, waving his hand nonchalantly.

What Senator, what seat, what Senator, what High Court, none of that matters now! Dutch Van der Linde's words were the true power; everything else was merely a symbol of status, symbolizing that this person was trusted by Mr. Van der Linde, and thus a continuous stream of people would come to him with gifts, seeking an opportunity to meet Mr. Van der Linde.

"Alright, sir, no more declining. I still have some things I need you to do next." Dutch's expression became serious.

"Alright, Dutch!" Mr. Trelawny finally breathed a sigh of relief, his heart pounding with excitement, wishing he could return to his grand manor in Saint Denis right now to explore it.

Damn it, he never thought that Trelawny would have such a glorious moment! Meeting the Van der Linde Gang truly used up all his luck in life!

"Our development has officially entered a smooth phase. Next, it will be a straightforward path of extensive development in New Hanover and Lemoyne, and the impoverished people in these two places will gradually decrease as development progresses. The citizens of these two states will have a relatively prosperous life.

Once life becomes prosperous, the demand for spiritual fulfillment will follow. So I need you to go to the East and learn some of their methods for spiritual enjoyment, to provide entertainment for our people. This includes, but is not limited to, amusement parks, projectors, and so on. In addition, various consumer goods must also be copied over, and we will open our own Van der Linde Gang stores.

This is a very important matter, and I hope you will pay close attention to it."

Dutch's expression was exceptionally serious.

His idea was very simple: to promote consumption and the circulation of money, and for this money to circulate within his own hands, rather than flowing eastward.

He couldn't have his workers saving money for a long time, then thinking of going to the East to have fun. That wouldn't do; that would be an outflow of money.

He could only absorb more money from the East, and not let this money flow too much to the East, otherwise it would not help their local development.

And currently, entertainment options in this area are scarce, so he could only actively send people to the East to learn, and then imitate and implement these ideas on his own territory, thereby ensuring that his people's money circulated within his own hands, rather than flowing to the East, otherwise it would have a significant impact on the economy and local development.

"Okay, Dutch!" Mr. Trelawny nodded quickly, his face full of excitement.

He previously didn't want to get too close to these outlaws, but now he didn't want to be too far from the Governor.

And the Governor had now given him a job; this was Mr. Trelawny's honor!

"Hahaha, very good, rest for a couple more days at home before you go, Trelawny, see your new manor, spend more time with your family. Could you call Arthur over for me? Oh, and Hosea too." Dutch patted his shoulder.

"Dutch!" Arthur and Hosea walked out, one after the other.

Arthur, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, adjusted his hat.

His hat now had a pure gold thread as decoration, with a vibrant bird feather tied to it.

There was nothing to be done; the Van der Linde Gang was simply too extravagant now. The women of the gang were adorned in gold and silver, and the core members had an endless supply of American dollars.

It was already considered very nostalgic that this group of people still maintained the cowboy style of dress.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that; it allowed for greater ease of movement.

"Arthur, Hosea, come over, fellows. I need to discuss the future development with you," Dutch beckoned, then pulled out a high-grade cigar from his pocket, lit it, and placed it in his mouth.

"Development? Haven't we already discussed it? Dutch, cooperation with the Morgan Family has officially begun. And haven't all the current development projects already been written down by you?" Hosea pulled out a notepad from his pocket, puzzled.

This notebook belonged to Dutch, and it contained the future development plans for New Hanover and Lemoyne, including but not limited to: energy extraction, transportation construction, farming and animal husbandry, entertainment facilities, school plans, and advanced research institutes.

Dutch had already completed the frameworks for all the various aspects, leaving only the step-by-step development according to the instructions. Moreover, it covered every facet; Hosea felt that no development plan could be as detailed, comprehensive, or advanced as what was described in this book.

Damn it, when he first saw it, he didn't understand the various reasons for the developments at all, and at the same time, he was completely convinced by Dutch's current ideas.

Damn it, Dutch really had a lot of ideas!

"No! Hosea, not that kind of development, but subsequent expansion." Dutch shook his head, his gaze fixed on the constantly flashing night scenery in the distance under the moonlight, his face full of the ambition of a person in a high position.

"Subsequent expansion? We're still expanding? Dutch! We already occupy two states; you are now the Governor of two states! This has never happened in America!

I feel we shouldn't expand any further, at least not until the situation in these two states stabilizes.

Although we can still conceal ourselves now, I always feel that the Morgan Family isn't good people either. If we continue to expand, will they push us out because they fear our power?

Besides, if we don't manage this place well and initiate another expansion, will we suffer losses due to the territory being too large and requiring too much investment?"

Hosea's speaking ability was completely different from before. In the past, when he disagreed with Dutch, he would just shake his head and say: 'I don't think so, Dutch, they aren't fools either.'

Now, when he disagreed, he would cite references and provide substantive reasons.

This was a huge improvement, and he even offered solutions.

Damn it, that old man Hosea had evolved!

"You are right, Hosea, rapid expansion will only lead to an unstable foundation. If we don't have a firm grasp on our base and only think about occupying outside territory, it is undoubtedly an act of digging our own grave.

However, we must prepare for expansion in advance, so that when internal stability is met, we can quickly expand outwards. In fact, I called you over precisely for the subsequent expansion plan.

West Elizabeth has been plagued by gangs recently; the entire state has re-entered the Wild West era, and this, Hosea, is our opportunity.

According to our current information, West Elizabeth has completely fallen into chaos. I heard our old friend Colm, the one-legged man, even has the idea of contending for Blackwater Town. The O'Driscoll Gang has even eliminated and absorbed various small and large gangs around, with their numbers reaching four to five hundred people, and they are even recruiting recently, wanting to attack Blackwater Town.

I don't know why Colm would have such a suicidal idea, but I know this is undoubtedly our chance.

When Colm breaks through Blackwater Town, we will be able to legitimately lead troops to occupy West Elizabeth, under the guise of suppressing bandits, and take control of the entire West Elizabeth.

However, the O'Driscoll Gang's attack on Blackwater Town will undoubtedly cause utter devastation to the people of West Elizabeth. Those damned gang members and desperadoes will not show an ounce of mercy.

This won't do! Damn it, every American citizen is the private property of our Van der Linde Gang. I'm still waiting for them to be useful when we rebuild Blackwater Town! So, we cannot just watch the people of Blackwater Town be ravaged by the O'Driscoll Gang!

So, Arthur, you'll be with me during this time. We'll use our train to enter Blackwater Town and bring all the people of Blackwater Town to Valentine for urban construction."

Dutch's Little Mustache twitched, and he came up with a crooked idea.

By taking away the people of Blackwater Town, the vital forces of Blackwater Town would disappear. If left like this, within three months, Blackwater Town's military forces would no longer have any sources of replenishment or logistical reserves. Colm would then be able to grind Blackwater Town down completely by sacrificing lives. Then, Dutch Van der Linde would use this as an excuse to send troops, using the Maxim gun to mow down Colm, and legitimately bring West Elizabeth into his possession.

In this way, the West Elizabeth government would be completely paralyzed, and there would be no military force to maintain sovereign integrity. Dutch Van der Linde could become a regent, ruling from behind a curtain, nominally a minister, but in reality, the true emperor.

Moreover, his reputation for benevolence would spread throughout these three states. Everyone would say that Dutch Van der Linde was truly a benevolent lord, who did not want the people of Blackwater Town to be buried with Blackwater Town and did not hesitate to spend a large sum to bring them out.

They would be completely unaware that the real reason for Blackwater Town's fall was that he cut off Blackwater Town's true sustained production capacity.

Finally, Dutch Van der Linde got West Elizabeth, gained public support, earned a good reputation, acquired people, and Valentine's urbanization took a big step forward. He could also eliminate gangs in the process. This was simply killing two birds with one stone.

Dutch stood on the train, his eyes gleaming, looking out at the distant darkness. He felt the responsibility on his shoulders growing heavier and heavier.