Chapter 332: Preparations

Chapter 332: Preparations

"Sir, the other factories have followed suit. Look, these are the new contracts from the Anderson Textile Factory, and these are from the Rodé Textile Factory. They've all followed suit," an assistant placed several documents in front of Rayne.

"Well, isn't this quite normal?" Rayne glanced at the documents, saying, "Do these terms differ significantly from ours?"

"Mr. Rayne, they're almost identical to ours, with just a few different words. But the meaning remains the same, especially in legal terms. It's entirely consistent," the assistant replied.

"Very well, Henry. These folks always want to gain an advantage without taking the first step. They wait for us to lead, then follow suit to seize the advantage. Haha..."

"Also, Mr. Rayne, our operations manager, Sinclair, hasn't shown up for work for two days. His wife came by, saying he left for work early yesterday..."

"Oh. Absent for two days? Then dismiss him and find someone else to replace him," Rayne nonchalantly replied.

"By the way, instruct the police department to act swiftly. The 'Bourse Fair' is imminent. We can't let those rascals and paupers ruin our big event! They need to expedite their actions; after all, we give them so much money each year. Are we feeding dogs?" Rayne added.

The police action that day received unanimous praise from almost all British newspapers, lauding the London police for decisively and effectively countering those intending to disrupt the stability and economic progress of the British Empire. They reinstated England's sacred order.

As for the "Seven-Penny Alliance," they received somewhat sympathetic coverage in some less prominent places, but with minimal attention. In contrast, French newspapers extensively covered the event, aiming to remind French workers to appreciate their current prosperity.

For now, France's textile industry remained limited in scale and scope, primarily involved in lace and similar items. Hence, for the time being, the French weren't inclined to strongly oppose Britain's textile industry.

"If the strike involved Britain's steel, machinery, or shipbuilding sectors, we could lend a hand. But regarding textile workers, well, we can only express sympathy. Remember, in our reporting, exhibiting goodwill and sympathy suffices; we don't need to offer assistance. After all, we must respect Britain's internal affairs."

Supposedly, this was Napoleon's directive when discussing the situation in England with Foreign Minister Talleyrand. If the English had heard this, they would likely mock Napoleon's hypocrisy. Wasn't Ireland also a matter of England's internal affairs?

Fekin also contacted Jacques Gallant, who informed him that France currently preferred to avoid conflicts with England, so he could only offer limited assistance within his capacity.

"Sorry, I can't help much. Because people like us don't actually hold real power in France. And Francia isn't truly a nation for the working people. I can only provide you with some advice. You know, in about half a month, the Bourse Fair is set to convene. It's incredibly crucial for the textile industry. Last year, almost half of Europe's textile export contracts with the UK were finalized at the Bourse Fair. This year, Rayne and his people are switching contracts now to further reduce costs and secure more orders at the Fair. So..."

them the locations and keys to the safe houses, instructing them to move there first. He also arranged for the butcher to take Oliver to Jacques.

"Boss, what about you?" the butcher inquired.

"Me? I have my own place," Fekin replied. "But first, we need to ignite this fire. We must organize the major strike before the 'Bourse Fair.'"

"Understood, boss. Also, boss, there've been many strange people around here lately."

"How so?" Fekin asked.

"They wear tattered clothes but don't seem like country folk. I think they might be police. Be cautious," the butcher warned.

"I got it," Fekin nodded.

After arranging these matters, Fekin left Petticoat Lane for another worker-inhabited area, where many Rodé Textile Factory workers resided. Fekin intended to discuss organizing the strike with them.

After walking a while from Petticoat Lane, Fekin noticed two people surreptitiously trailing him.

These two individuals had obviously undergone some tracking training. If they were tailing an ordinary person, they might not have been detected. But Fekin was an old hand, having undergone some training in Toulon. Even though it wasn't extensive, unlike an average person, Fekin had abundant practical experience, albeit not elevated to theoretical understanding. So, once someone explained theories to him from a higher perspective, he could truly apply theory to guide practice. Thus, despite the brief training, Fekin's improvement surprised even himself.

Hence, these two somewhat experienced plainclothes officers couldn't deceive Fekin.

Purposely, Fekin walked towards a more secluded area, mostly where workers lived, and most had already left for work.

Seeing there were few people around, the two undercover officers drew closer. Furthermore, one of them discreetly slid a butterfly knife from their sleeve to their hand—these plainclothes officers' mission wasn't to track or arrest anyone; their task was straightforward—eliminate those who appeared to be representatives of the workers!