"Hey! Feed! ”

At nightfall, a man's shout came from the coal mine: "Call all the brothers in the mine!" ”

Bell –

Bell –

Bell –

As the bell rang, the workers working under the mine exited the mine one after another, removed the wick in their mouths, wiped the soot from their faces, and looked at the man standing on the high place in confusion.

Swan was among them, and he stayed at the back of the crowd, like everyone else, not understanding what was happening, and looking at the man curiously.

Because of the dim lighting, I couldn't see the man's face clearly, but the voice sounded very familiar.

"Brothers!"

The man standing on the high place brought a tin horn and shouted: "The strike has begun!" Don't work anymore! Let's go home! ”

As soon as the voice came out, the workers immediately made an uproar: "Another strike? ”

"It's only been a few days since the last strike?"

"Why is there a strike this time?"

The man from high gave them a reply: "It was the fourth prince who started the strike!" Rest assured! The fourth prince will not harm you! Just follow the order! ”

The last strike was initiated spontaneously by the workers, and although Arthur was credited with it, it was generally more personal will.

This strike, purely on the orders of Arthur, who gave the strike order as the leader of the Labour Party, meant that the strike began to be organized.

Hearing Arthur's name, the workers no longer hesitated, and then put down their tools and left the mine, the overseer wanted to run out to stop him, but how could he stop hundreds of workers alone?

I could only watch the workers leave, and hurriedly got into the carriage and ran to report the situation to the boss.

Newham District.

The hot wax oil slipped down the wax walls, the flickering candle flame released a dim glow, the boy lay asleep on the bed, Molly was still asleep, she was sewing clothes, and suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Swan?"

Opening the door, Molly was surprised to find that it was Swan standing at the door, and couldn't help asking, "Aren't you coming back the day after tomorrow?" Come inside and I'll pour you a cup of tea. ”

"The strike started again, and this time I don't know how long it will last, so I simply came back first."

Swan sat down at the table and took the teacup from Molly.

"Again?"

"Well, this time it's the fourth prince who wants us to strike, I don't know what he wants to do."

"The fourth prince must have his plans." Molly smiled and said, "Yesterday there were people who came to our apartment building to collect information on children who were not enrolled in school, and as the president of the Educators Association, the fourth prince is really responsible." ”

"yes." Swan nodded and laughed: "With the fourth prince here, life will definitely get better." ”

"How's Ray at school?"

"He's making rapid progress, he's already able to write a few letters, I'll show you the homework."

At night, the candle flame illuminates the room, and it is also late at night, but some people are happy and some are worried.

In the Yiling District, the sleeping Gennard Klosterman felt that someone was pushing him, and opened his eyes blankly, and the big face of the butler came into view: "Master! Wake up, sir! Something happened in the mine! ”

"The mine collapsed?!"

Hearing that something had happened in the mine, it was still in the middle of the night, and Gnaud turned over and sat up, and his sleepiness disappeared.

"No, it's not a landslide, it's a strike! Overseer Poole is here! ”

Gnad breathed a sigh of relief, got up and put on his clothes, and walked barefoot downstairs as he cursed, "What the hell is going on? Why are you going on strike again? It's really non-stop. Since the Fourth Prince founded the Labor Party, the trouble has not stopped! It's damn good."

In the living room, Overseer Poole sat cautiously on the sofa, his ass only half of the cushion, and when he heard the door open, he stood up with a 'whoosh'.

"Poole! Why are you striking again! Do you know how much money I'm going to lose for a day of downtime! ”

"Boss"

Poole wanted to cry without tears and said, "I don't know. It was all right, but suddenly a man who called himself the Labor Representative Committee came to the mine, gathered the workers directly, and said that the fourth prince ordered them to strike, and the workers were all gone, and I couldn't stop it! ”

"What are you eating! You're an overseer! If the worker is disobedient, he will be whipped with a whip! ”

Poole didn't say anything, thinking that this was not the Middle Ages, and the workers were not slaves, so it was okay to make a mistake and kick your feet, where would you really dare to whip it?

Of course, Gnard knew that he couldn't whip him, he just vented his anger.

Grabbing the apple on the table and taking a bite, Gnader snorted twice: "Strike, strike, anyway, not all the troubles are mine, compared to the railway, freight company and factory, my loss is the smallest, no matter how urgent it is, it will not be my turn." ”

"What's that?" Poole rubbed his hands together and said, "It seems that only the coal mines are on strike"

"Huh?!"

Gnard was stunned: "How do you know?" ”

"On the way here, I met friends who work on the railway, and none of them received the order to strike"

Gnard's face gradually changed, if there is only a strike in the coal mine, it means that the pressure is all on him, and the impact will not be very large, which is very targeted!

Gnard, who didn't know what he had done wrong, wanted to go to the second prince immediately, but it was too late now, and the second prince was afraid that he would have rested long ago, and it was really not a good time to disturb.

Gnard knows his position, in the camp of the second prince, a pure businessman like him, he has almost no right to speak, and his power is also very weak, he can only live by looking at the faces of others, and the family has no background, and belongs to the nouveau riche.

If you don't have enough weight, doing what only henchmen can do will only attract the dislike of the second prince.

It wasn't until the next morning that Gnard knocked on the door of Kensington Palace, where he had been waiting all night.

The second prince, who had just woken up, leaned on the head of the bed, wiped his face with the hot towel prepared by the maid, picked up the newspaper and was about to read it, when suddenly the butler walked in and whispered, "Your Highness, Mr. Klostermann asks to see you." ”

"Mr. Klosterman? Who? The second prince was confused.

"Gnad Klosterman, owner of the East End Mine."

"Oh!"

The second prince remembered: "What is he here for?" ”

"Last night, the coal miners' union went on strike, and it was the order of the fourth prince."

The eyelids jumped, and the second prince's good mood for the day was instantly destroyed: "It's Arthur again. Let Klosterman in! ”

"Yes."

The second prince didn't have the idea of meeting Klosterman in the living room, he just sat on the bed, drinking coffee, looking lazy.

Gnard walked into the bedroom, first took off his hat and saluted the second prince, and then told about the dilemma he faced.

After listening, the second prince said lightly: "So what is your purpose?" ”

"Get workers back to work." Gnard said truthfully.

"Isn't that easy?" The second prince smiled slightly: "Six-legged frogs are hard to find, two-legged people are everywhere, since this strike is coming to the coal miners' union, then you will give an order, anyone who does not return to work within today, will be dismissed immediately, and new workers will be recruited to take their place." ”

Gnard's eyes lit up: "You mean, use work to force them?" ”

"This is a provocation by Labour to the Liberals, a declaration of war." The second prince sneered: "Okay, then let's try it and see who can't stand it first, the Liberal Party has nothing else, and the money is there." ”

With the backbone in hand, Gnard immediately went to Newham, East London, and posted a job advertisement on the main road with the most people.

[Recruiting workers in the East Mining Area, daily salary of 8 pence plus 3 percent performance bonus! ] Eat and stay! 】

As soon as the advertisement was issued, it immediately attracted countless onlookers, and the daily wage was 7pence, which was not low, and it was 1p higher than the daily wage of railway workers, not to mention 3% performance bonuses.

What is the concept of a wife or son who earns 2 pence a day and adds up to 1 shilling?

Rent a cheap apartment for only 2 shillings!

A salary of 7 shillings a week, 2 shillings for rent, 3 shillings for food and drink, 1 shilling for groceries, and 1 shilling for new clothes!

This is already the life that many people dream of.

It is not difficult for wives and sons to earn 2p a day, and more often than not, they earn more.

Without much hesitation, after a short period of thought, many low-level laborers rushed up and gathered around Gnard to take the job.

"You! You! And you! ”

Gnad laughed heartily, gesturing his hand through the crowd, and all those he got into the wagons and headed for the mines.

In a short time, more than two dozen people were recruited.

"Thief! You thieves! ”

There was an angry roar from the crowd, and when it dispersed, several coal miners rushed up and shouted viciously: "What is the strike for!" Don't you know? Only by uniting can we win more wages! to live a better life! ”

"Save it."

Gnader plucked his ears and said impatiently: "You don't do it, some people do it, what?" You are only allowed to make money, and no one else is allowed to eat? ”

"You!"

"I'll give you one last chance, go back to work in the mine now, and I can be okay with the past! Salary will be paid! Give you an extra half-day vacation! ”

Gnard snorted coldly, "This is your last chance!" ”

Several coal miners looked at each other, clenched their fists, and for a moment did not know how to answer.

The strike was not what they wanted to do, in fact, there was nothing wrong with it before, it was enough to fill their stomachs, what else was there to hope for?

If it weren't for the Four Princes, they wouldn't have struck .

Just when a few coal miners were a little shaken, Swan suddenly squeezed out of the crowd and shouted, "Can't go back!" The strike must be carried out to the end! ”

"Who are you?" Gnard looked at Swan who suddenly appeared, and raised his eyebrows: "If you are also a coal miner, I announce that you have been fired, and from today onwards, no coal mine will accept you." ”

Ignoring Gnard, Swan continued: "We should trust the Fourth Prince! He was the one who saved us from being homeless! With the prestige of the Four Princes, we can launch a general strike! Why be afraid of them? ”

"Hahaha!" Gnard laughed when he heard this: "Your last strike was successful because nothing like this happened before, and everyone was bluffed by you!" Now, we have workers! What if all the workers of London went on strike! Besides you, there are no men in the Kingdom of Windsor?! ”

"You're smiling so happily." Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him.

"Of course! Ha ha. Haha"

Why does this sound familiar?

The laughter gradually subsided, and Gnad turned his head, and after seeing the person clearly, his expression froze: "Four-fourth prince."

Beyond Gnader, Arthur came to the front, he looked at the wooden sign of recruitment, then at Swan, and said, "Everyone, strike, not for me alone, but for yourselves." ”

"In the face of unfair treatment, we should use our power to defend our rights! The rights and interests won by the strike are also shared by everyone! ”

"In the future, even the lowest workers will be able to support their families on their own, and their wives and children will no longer need to go out to work! This is my promise to you! ”

As he spoke, Arthur knocked on the recruitment sign and said with a smile: "Anyone who wants to go can go, but please remember that you have betrayed the working class!" ”

"As for you"

Arthur turned around and looked at Gnard who was covered in cold sweat: "You just said that even if all the workers in London go on strike, they can recruit workers from other places, right?" ”

"I, I."

"It's okay, it's not illegal to say what you want to say." Arthur smiled: "But if this is your hope, I think you will be disappointed, because just now, the heads of the various trade unions sent by the Labour Party to contact the south of the kingdom have returned, and the Workers' Union has been formed!" ”

"Union of Workers and Workers?!"

Hearing a name he had never heard before, Gnard was shocked.

He couldn't understand why Arthur was able to form a workers' union before that. They didn't even hear from them at all!

"Go back and tell Shukri to be careful."

Gnard ran away with a roll, he was scared away by Arthur, in front of Arthur, he didn't even dare to come out, the pressure on him from the fourth prince was heavier than that of the second prince.

Just as Gnad was on his way to the mine, he received bad news - the workers he had just recruited, I don't know why, actually went on strike!

It is said that it was the members of the Labor Representative Committee who blocked the way into the mine, and after some 'affectionate and sincere' persuasion, the workers, who were quite thieves, learned from their pain and decided to repent.

Gnaud didn't care what the truth was, he just knew that the mine hadn't been back up and running, and it seemed that he couldn't solve these troubles alone.

"Turn around! Go find the second prince! ”

In Kensington Palace, the second prince, who was receiving guests, heard the news of Gnard's return, scolded secretly, and met Gnard again.

"You say Arthur formed the Workers' Union?"

"Yes, Your Highness, that's what the fourth prince said!"

"Got it, you go down first."

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

"Don't worry, there will be a way, you go back first."

"Oh"

After Gnad left, the second prince immediately called the butler:

"Go and ask for Nicholas and Baron Frederick."

(End of chapter)