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Chapter 1035: Business Intelligence

On the day the Government Investment Fund was scheduled to vote, Admiral Keevis, the Minister of Naval Warfare, personally attended the session. He even delivered a brief address before the proceedings began, emphasizing the critical importance of the steam engine to the Royal Navy.

To be clear, he certainly hadn't accepted any bribes from the Boulton-Watt Company; he was acting entirely out of his own conviction.

If a 180-horsepower steam engine could truly be realized, it would be capable of powering a third-rate ship of the line.

And those ships were currently the very backbone of naval warfare.

With just twenty steam-powered third-rate ships added to the light steam warships already under construction, the Royal Navy wouldn't just be a match for the Franco-Spanish combined fleet—it would be superior to every navy in the world put together!

In truth, there was no real need for him to lobby for the cause. Sir Malik had already greased the wheels well in advance.

Before long, the management committee passed the massive investment of 800,000 pounds sterling with a vote of ten in favor and four against.

Applause and cheers immediately erupted throughout the hall.

Under the recent relentless promotional campaign, high-power, high-pressure steam engines had become the center of public attention. The passing of this vote was seen as the fulfillment of a popular mandate.

First, Montes, two other MPs, and Sir Malik had each acquired stakes in three inconspicuous small companies about half a month prior. These companies included a manufacturer of metal insulation panels and a producer of hoisting equipment, with total share values not exceeding two thousand pounds.

As soon as the 800,000-pound investment was approved, Sevestre Shipbuilding Company—the largest tier-two supplier under the Chatham Dockyard—suddenly selected the products of these three small companies. They confirmed that the engine room equipment for the next hundred or so steam warships built at Chatham would be supplied by them.

As for the operational status of these three small firms, Frank wasn't the least bit worried about anyone digging into them.

Sevestre Shipbuilding Company would sell semi-finished goods to "trading intermediaries," who would then transport them to warehouses owned by the three small companies across various locations.

These three companies would then bring those components back to their own workshops within London under the guise of "raw materials." There, they would relabel the parts and, according to the purchase contracts, sell them back to Sevestre with a 17% markup.

The resulting profits would be paid out monthly to the major shareholders, such as MP Montes, allowing Frank to clear the promised bribes in less than a year.

No matter who came to audit them, the ledgers of these three companies would appear perfectly clean. Unless a highly skilled technician spent months undercover within the firms, it was impossible to discover the truth.

The reason Sevestre Shipbuilding Company was willing to cooperate was that Boulton-Watt had guaranteed they would receive the contracts for the engine room equipment at Chatham Dockyard.

Boulton-Watt, in turn, provided technical reports to the shipyard proving that Sevestre's products were the most compatible with their steam engines. They claimed that using any other supplier would jeopardize the stability of the engines.

Naturally, the cost of the markup was compensated by Boulton-Watt through inflated purchase prices for Sevestre’s own products.

Throughout the entire process, MP Montes and the others only had indirect dealings with Chatham Dockyard. They never had any contact with Boulton-Watt, and the entire operation was conducted as standard commercial business.

Even the most rigorous investigation would find no wrongdoing.

This was precisely why Montes and his colleagues dared to accept the money.

One could only say that the "business intelligence" of certain future corporations far exceeded the imagination of the people of this era.

The most brilliant stroke was that once Frank's promised bribes were "settled," these three companies would suffer various "accidents" and go bankrupt one after another.

The evidence would vanish, leaving nothing but dead ends.

The only thing certain was that the British Government Investment Fund's money was destined to go down the drain.

But that would be a matter for much later. When the time came, the Bank of England and the countless British citizens who had subscribed to the fund would be the ones to foot the bill.

...

June 11, 1795.

Port of Mobile, southeastern North America.

Father Vigne, leading his small missionary group, walked down the gangplank of the passenger ship Rock Laurel and set foot on the soil of Spanish Florida.

Accompanying them were five Security Bureau agents and a Spanish official.

This was the entire team Joseph had dispatched to resolve the "New Orleans Port crisis."

The most powerful weapon in their possession was a document authorized by Carlos IV—a mandate that required the Governor of Florida, the Count of Elcano, to cooperate fully with their mission.

Father Vigne looked out at the desolate and primitive town before him. Recalling his purpose here, he couldn't help but lower his head and cross himself, sighing inwardly, 'May the Lord forgive my lack of piety.'

However, he immediately thought of the reward the Crown Prince had promised him—the position of Archbishop— and his fighting spirit was instantly restored.

Despite offering four silver coins, the group couldn't hire enough carriages. In the end, they had to settle for a local guide and walk for nearly two hours before finally reaching the Mobile Town Hall.

After they explained their purpose, Mayor Garcia frowned slightly and said in French, "Respected Father, I fear those Coweta people are very difficult to communicate with. The Creek are even more hostile toward the Americans, but their attitude toward us isn't much better."

The Creek and Coweta were large Indian tribes situated to the north of Florida. Their territory occupied what would later become southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia.

Father Vigne simply insisted, "You only need to take us to them. There is no need to worry about anything else."

The mayor prepared enough horses for them and ordered the local sheriff to personally lead a squad to escort these dignitaries to find the Indians.

After three days of riding through hills and plains, Vigne finally met the Chief of the Creek tribe, Cekili.

One could tell from the name that this was an "enlightened" Indian tribe; otherwise, their names would usually involve flowers, birds, fish, or insects.

In fact, the settlement of this tribe had been built to look very much like a small European town—straight, packed-earth streets lined with wooden houses, with the occasional carriage passing through.

Although the Creek tribe had some dealings with the Spanish, they also frequently raided them. Consequently, the Indians appeared extremely wary of the white men who had suddenly arrived.

Vigne and his companions surrendered their sidearms and were ushered in under the aim of several flintlock muskets before they finally got the chance to speak with Cekili.

"We have come to seek cooperation," Vigne said in Spanish.

The priest behind him who understood the Creek language was about to translate when the chief spoke in fluent Spanish, "Put away your deceptions and leave our land at once."

The North American Indians had been cheated so many times by the Americans through various means that they had become immune to such overtures.

Vigne hurriedly signaled the armed Indians to remain calm, then addressed Cekili directly. "I am French. I wish to make a deal with you. The payment will be three hundred flintlock muskets and an ample supply of ammunition."