Changes

"An offer one cannot refuse!"

Mr. McKinley's words kept echoing in Mr. Milton's mind, even long after he had left the McKinley Manor, he still hadn't recovered.

"Mr. Milton, are you still thinking about what Mr. McKinley just said?"

Ross, sitting on one side of the carriage, saw his superior looking distracted and asked.

"Yes, Mr. Ross. An offer one cannot refuse, is this good or bad?" Listening to Mr. Ross, Mr. Milton came back to his senses.

Ross chuckled, pulled out a pack of cheap cigars from his pocket, drew out two, and handed one to Mr. Milton, saying, "Hahaha, I don't know if your choice is good or bad. But I do know that, purely in terms of treatment, the offer from Dutch Van der Linde completely trumps this arrogant congressman.

At least we won't have to smoke these cheap cigars anymore. Cough, cough, cough…"

Mr. Ross lit the cigar in his mouth with a match, took a small puff, and was immediately irritated by the somewhat harsh smoke.

He forcefully threw the cigar onto the road beside him, then sighed, "Arthur Morgan, the cigar he gave me last time was good. It was the first time I smoked such a good cigar."

Hearing Mr. Ross's sigh, Mr. Milton finally relaxed.

He laughed heartily, threw the cigar in his hand to the ground, and sighed with a sense of relief:

"Hahaha, yes, Mr. Ross, Dutch Van der Linde is actually offering me a high price of three hundred dollars a month!

I've been a senior detective for so many years, and I've never earned such a high salary!"

From the perspective of benefits alone, it's clear that Dutch Van der Linde completely outshines these congressmen and the Federal Government in the east.

The gunmen absorbed into the Federal Government now only earn twenty-five dollars a month at most, but if they follow Dutch Van der Linde, it's at least one hundred dollars a month, plus food and lodging!

So, it's simple and clear who to stand with!

Just as Mr. Milton's thought emerged, a piercing gunshot interrupted his train of thought.

The streets of Washington were already in chaos.

"Bang, bang, bang…"

The carriage sped by, gunshots continuously rang out, and occasionally civilians were hit by stray bullets.

Gang members within Washington were utterly insane, with two factions holding guns and engaging in a battle of chase and slaughter on the streets of Washington.

"Oh, sh*t! Quick, back to the West, quick, back to Saint Denis. Damn it, it's too chaotic here!" Mr. Milton, sitting in the carriage, had no other thoughts.

He now felt that Dutch Van der Linde's territory was safer!

---

---

Mr. Milton was absolutely correct.

Mr. Van der Linde's territory is safer.

Because Mr. Dutch Van der Linde does not allow any gang members or criminal forces to appear in the areas he governs.

Because Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's Van der Linde Gang is the largest criminal force in the entire region!

Saint Denis.

Through the means of bringing people from Mexico during this period, the population of Saint Denis has successfully exceeded one million.

The population gap between the West and the East is enormous; the population disparity between the South and the North during the American Civil War was absurdly large, and that was still under the rule of the plantation owner class.

In the West, a region rampant with gangs, the population gap would only be greater.

But no matter what, this is already a city of one million people.

When there are more people, thoughts become more complex.

Although the impoverished people of Saint Denis are very satisfied with their current lives, there are always some born bad apples.

People like Mac, of course, are not the only ones.

Even though Mr. Van der Linde has provided such good treatment, they are still not satisfied, still unhappy; they want to reap without sowing, they want to return to the days when they could rob at will!

But Dutch Van der Linde, this towering mountain of the West, his influence pressed down on them like a thousand-pound weight, leaving them restless even at night, making them fear dreaming of Dutch Van der Linde even in their sleep.

But this still could not stop them from doing evil.

"Mr. Van der Linde, I want to report! I just heard someone plotting to rob a bank!"

A female voice broke the silence of the night and also Mr. Van der Linde's sweet dream.

Dutch reached out, moved Miss O'Shea's fair leg aside, then put on his clothes and walked down the stairs.

Hot tea had already been set out in the living room on the first floor of the manor. A plainly dressed lady sat on the sofa, fidgeting, awkwardly thanking the maid who was pouring her tea.

"Oh, madam, dear madam, it's a pleasure to see you!" Dutch came down the stairs, walked quickly towards the sofa with a smile on his face, and greeted the lady who had hastily stood up from the sofa.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, esteemed Mr. Van der Linde!" It wasn't the woman's first time seeing Dutch, but she had never been this close, nor had it been a private encounter.

This put a lot of pressure on her.

Not because of fear, but because of nervousness, nervous that she might not do something well enough to disappoint Mr. Van der Linde.

Seeing the woman repeatedly bowing, Dutch quickly stepped forward, supported her shoulders, and comforted her, "Madam, don't do that.

Remember? I once told you that from the perspective of life, everyone should be equal, and everyone should possess their own dignity. This is the foundation of being human.

I never taught you to humble yourselves before me; I desire to give you true equality, only then can you truly have a happy life!"

Dutch, with a gentle smile, helped the woman up and led her to the sofa.

His words and actions immediately brought tears to the woman's eyes, and her body even trembled with emotion.

Mr. Van der Linde was always like this, always giving dignity to these common people at the bottom.

This was something the former Saint Denis elites had never done, yet it was the most touching gesture to them.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde!" The woman, with tears streaming down her face, sat back on the sofa, then remembered the reason for her visit.

"By the way, Mr. Van der Linde, I want to report! While I was cleaning a room in the hotel just now, I overheard someone in the next room discussing robbing your bank in Saint Denis! Damn it, these damn beasts, I feel they deserve to die!" The hot tears in the woman's eyes hadn't receded yet, but anger had already surged to her forehead.

Damn it, being a robber in such a good era, these beasts truly deserve to die!

So she immediately came to report to Mr. Van der Linde.

"What? How dare they have such damned thoughts in my territory? Mr. JD, take a team and handle it.

These people who always like to reap without sowing don't need to be forgiven. Send them all to the mines and make them work until they die!"

Mr. Van der Linde's word was law now. As he spoke, Captain JD, standing by the door, immediately placed his hand on his chest and performed a Van der Linde salute.

"Yes, Mr. Van der Linde!"

Mr. Van der Linde, who had just sent the female worker away, stood up from the sofa, intending to go back to sleep, when the gunman at the door walked in.

"Mr. Van der Linde, a Mr. Joseph has arrived. He said that the people from Germany have arrived and are now staying at the Saint Denis Van der Linde Hotel. They wish to meet with you as soon as possible."

The Saint Denis Van der Linde Hotel is one of Dutch's properties.

To ensure that the flow of money in the American West remained in his hands, allowing him to use it to pay the lower-class workers, Dutch had rapidly opened various shops, hotels, bars, and even entertainment venues during this period.

All of this was to ensure that funds circulated within his control.

"Oh? So soon? It seems Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany is not one to be mediocre! Go find someone to inform them that tomorrow, I will meet with the people from Germany. Tell them to be prepared.

Also, carefully screen the people who have arrived recently, especially the Germans. These damned Germans won't be so honest as to just come and trade with us."

"Yes!" The security personnel quickly left the villa.

The sleepiness Mr. Van der Linde had just felt dissipated considerably. He sat on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another, seemingly under great pressure.

Meanwhile, Arthur and John, who also lived on the second floor of the villa, were sleeping soundly.

Scattered gunshots echoed through Saint Denis.

But they did not cause any wave of panic.

Because these were shots fired by Mr. Van der Linde's subordinates. In the entire American West, only when Mr. Van der Linde fired a gun would people not be afraid.

However, Grand Duke Meyer, who also came from Europe, had entirely different thoughts.

"Oh, sh*t! This damned American West truly is a barbaric land! Even in this city, gun violence can happen at any time! Damned, I think the empire needs to re-evaluate this land. Once the European war situation stabilizes, we should extend our reach into America!

Since those Americans aren't developing this land, let us develop it."

Grand Duke Meyer stood by the French windows of the Van der Linde Hotel, looking out at the streets of Saint Denis.

As the gunshots rang out, the entire Saint Denis seemed to spring into action.

Groups of gunmen in uniform ran out from various streets, then quickly sealed off all intersections in Saint Denis.

Carriages pulling cannons and Maxim guns sped through the middle of the street. Although he couldn't see where these terrifying weapons were being transported from his vantage point.

But in a short while, the continuous rattle of machine gun fire accompanied by the roar of cannons began to sound.

Grand Duke Meyer, who had just spoken, was startled.

The speed and scale of this military deployment were somewhat too astonishing.

Even in German cities, there were only police maintaining order; the actual army generally did not participate in urban security.

Yet, in Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's city, troops could be mobilized at any time, and the speed of support from various local forces was extremely fast.

Then there would be two possibilities.

First, their army has specialized training and strict discipline.

Second, this is not an army; this force with heavy firepower is merely the city's police.

If it was the second case, it would only be more terrifying.

If the police were this formidable, he couldn't even imagine how formidable the army would be.

Grand Duke Meyer's mind recalled the terrifying yet awe-inspiring image of the Tank in the photograph, and he couldn't help but come to a conjecture that somewhat frightened him.

"Could it be that these forces with heavy firepower are really just the police?"

If so, then he would need to re-evaluate Mr. Dutch Van der Linde.

Grand Duke Meyer's eyes narrowed slightly. He felt he needed to observe more.

----

The night slowly passed, and no one knew the scale of the battle that had taken place that night.

Everyone only saw seven bodies, mutilated beyond recognition, when they passed by the Saint Denis Government building during the day, so much so that they couldn't even be pieced back together.

Logically, even Arthur would exclaim 'sh*t!' at the sight of such gruesome corpses.

But now, the Saint Denis Government building was surrounded by a sea of people, and even women and little girls dared to stare at the bodies on the ground, even spitting in disdain.

And next to these mangled remains, there were dedicated personnel explaining the situation.

"Mr. Van der Linde has given each of us a good life, a good future, an opportunity to live in this era.

And now, these bodies displayed at the entrance of Saint Denis, they actually tried to destroy our wonderful lives! This is simply intolerable!

Mr. Van der Linde has placed money before us; clearly, by working hard, one can hundred percent have a happy life, yet some people are still incredibly greedy.

And this is the consequence of greed! This is the punishment for unearned gains!

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Van der Linde has given us a good life, and of course, we must work hard ourselves and not let down Mr. Van der Linde's high hopes..."

The impassioned speech even carried to another street.

Grand Duke Meyer, who had just dressed and was preparing to meet Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, heard it clearly.

"Mr. Meyer, Mr. Van der Linde invites you!"

A luxurious carriage was already parked in front of the hotel entrance. This was a special car provided by Mr. Van der Linde's high-class hotel, available to all guests.

He had come secretly this time, and had not yet informed Dutch of his identity.

Kaiser Wilhelm placed great importance on this transaction, which he believed would be the great beginning for Germany.

However, Dutch Van der Linde's weapons also gave him more ideas.

For example, could he find the research personnel under Mr. Dutch Van der Linde and capture them to their country?

Or perhaps steal their research content? Or turn his various personnel against him?

Therefore, when Grand Duke Meyer arrived, he also brought along thirty high-ranking intelligence agents to lay out espionage plans in New Hanover and Lemoyne.

Thirty high-ranking intelligence agents is no small number.

Although there are far more than three hundred or even thirty thousand spies between nations, most of these are broadly defined spies, largely outsourced or low-level, ready to be used as pawns.

But the truly rigorously trained high-ranking spies brought over were meant to lie low here and slowly integrate for decades. Such high-ranking spies are already extremely rare and valuable.

And deploying thirty highly professional high-ranking spies in such a desolate and backward region as the American West was already showing Mr. Dutch Van der Linde a great deal of respect.

This also made Mr. Van der Linde somewhat annoyed.

He also wanted to cultivate his own intelligence personnel, damn it!

Just as Grand Duke Meyer's carriage was approaching Van der Linde Manor, inside Van der Linde Manor, Mr. Dutch Van der Linde was smiling broadly at the five Germans kneeling before him.

Van der Linde Manor utilized the main structure of Henry Manor, featuring a small fish pond with rockeries and flowers, making it picturesque.

However, in this beautiful setting, five men and women, bound and kneeling on the ground, greatly disrupted the tranquil atmosphere and even added a sense of terror.

If the image quality were a bit blurrier, it would be frightening to think that these five bound individuals were about to be brutally slaughtered at any moment.

"Mr. Van der Linde, these five are the spies captured yesterday. They were likely brought by the sudden arrival of Mr. Meyer."

Mr. JD stood aside, respectfully addressing Dutch.

It was purely by luck that these five were caught; they had been noticed by sailors on the ship, and Mr. Van der Linde's sailors, loyal to Mr. Van der Linde, reported them as soon as they disembarked.

Thus, they ended their mission before they even had a chance to disappear into the West.

"Oh my goodness, have we reached the point where we need spies to steal information? Spies, oh, sh*t!, I remember the last time I heard that word was when someone was reading the newspaper in a tavern!" John exclaimed, his face full of wonder, dressed in a colorful outfit.

His eyes constantly scanned the five bound spies before him, and he said in surprise, "How infuriating! I thought these people would have a different feel to them, why do they look just like ordinary people?"

"John (John's colloquialism), do they have to wear suits, ties, and sunglasses, and then write 'I am a spy' on their chests to highlight their identity?

Sh*t! These are spies, they're not like you, John Marston!" Arthur slapped John on the back of the head, saying with a tone of disappointment.

"Damn it, why are you getting dumber! I really suspect Abigail has poisoned you!"

"F*ck, Morgan, why do you always focus on me!" John glared at Arthur, exasperated, and cursed while rubbing his throbbing head.

He was about to be driven crazy!

Why couldn't he, Master Marston, enjoy a day of peace?

While the two of them bickered, Dutch looked at the five bound spies kneeling before him with a smile, saying with interest, "Hahaha, it seems our weapons have caught the attention of the German Emperor, gentlemen.

They even sent spies specifically to steal my secrets."

The five spies kneeling on the ground, both male and female, looked like ordinary people, the kind who could blend into a crowd.

But at this moment, they displayed reactions completely different from normal people.

Each of them was very calm, no one begged for mercy, and no one even spoke.

Cyanide actually existed in this era, and it was entirely feasible for low-level spies to use it for suicide, but these five were high-level spies. High-level spies generally don't carry such things; they focus on long-term undercover work and wouldn't carry the various spy gadgets shown in movies, because some spy items would have a high chance of exposing their identity as a spy.

Furthermore, in non-war and non-tense international situations, captured spies are generally not sentenced to death, and there are even exchanges of spies between countries.

And given the disparity in strength and status between Germany and Mr. Van der Linde, there was no need for these five to commit suicide directly; they could just wait for the German Emperor or Grand Duke Meyer to intervene.

In situations with such a huge disparity in strength and status, they might even be caught today and released tomorrow.

Of course, this was just their five's thinking.

"Dutch, how should we deal with these... spies? Oh, sh*t!, I feel so strange even saying these words now."

Arthur had a feeling that their group might actually be getting somewhere.

Goodness, they even had spies targeting them, if this wasn't getting somewhere, what was?

"Hmph hmph hmph, Arthur, you underestimate yourself too much, and you underestimate me too much, child.

In the future, there will be a continuous stream of spies coming here, because no country will want us to rise, but we, we will only rise!

As for these spies, just treat them as people caught breaking the law. Take them to mine; once they've saved enough money, they can have their own houses and their own lives.

And as for you, ladies, gentlemen, I don't care if you are so-called spies or people with ulterior motives.

No matter what your past experiences were, no matter what kind of life you endured, on my territory, a person must live like a human being!

I have said more than once that everyone has the right to a happy life. Your first half of life may have undergone strict training, and your minds may have been solidified and brainwashed.

But, I, Dutch Van der Linde, don't care!

You might be able to steal our military secrets, but you will never be able to steal the people's faith!!!

I can give anyone a chance, a chance to truly have their own life! On my territory, everyone can live for themselves, and everyone can truly live a happy and honorable life in this place!

So, I will give you a chance, work hard, reform well, save enough money as soon as possible to buy a house, get married, have a life of your own, and live well in this world."

Mr. Dutch Van der Linde raised his right hand high, his words impassioned, his voice filled with inspiring power.

Especially the line, "You might be able to steal our military secrets, but you will never be able to steal the people's faith," brought tears to the eyes of the gunmen and maids present!

Mr. Van der Linde was absolutely right!

Why does everyone work wholeheartedly for Mr. Van der Linde? And why does Mr. Van der Linde enjoy such prestige? Because Mr. Van der Linde genuinely cares for the people!

Even if people aren't grateful to Mr. Van der Linde, they will never go against their own interests.

And this is the most steadfast faith!

Dutch has genuinely cared for the people, which has led to a deep intertwining of the people's interests with his own.

Simply by this fact, Mr. Van der Linde will never fall.

"Oh, sh*t!, Dutch's speeches are getting more and more exhilarating now. Damn it, I'm a little scared of what he'll be like in another year or two.

I hope it doesn't turn into a situation where the people attack wherever Dutch points! If it becomes like that, it would be too terrifying."

Arthur, after a long time, pulled out his wrinkled diary and began to write down his thoughts.

Damn it, he, hadn't written in his diary for a long time; he was almost too lazy to even degenerate.