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Chapter 71: The Green Hat
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 13:10:29 +0000 UTCTwo days later, in a warehouse on the outskirts of Liverpool, Thomas Shelby arrived with his men to inspect the first shipment—an entire warehouse filled to the brim with canned goods and cigarettes.
In addition to this, there were 300 firearms and ammunition.
This was an additional request from the Shelby family.
Despite being the largest gang in Britain, acquiring firearms was not as easy as one might think. Gun control in Britain had always been much stricter than in the United States.
During wartime, before the arrival of American troops, the British military had imposed strict regulations on weapons, making them even harder to obtain. The few weapons the Shelby family possessed were pre-war leftovers, and their ammunition supply was alarmingly low.
Without weapons, it was challenging to safeguard their goods effectively.
Josh had no objection to fulfilling such a reasonable request. Conveniently, his system inventory included surplus weaponry, so selling a portion to the Shelby wasn’t an issue.
As Thomas Shelby stood in the warehouse, looking at the overwhelming amount of supplies, a wave of emotion washed over him. It had been four years since he’d seen such abundance.
Before the war, these goods might not have been much for the family, but now, they were as precious as life itself.
Still, no matter how tempting the shipment was, Shelby had no intention of betraying their agreement.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply didn’t dare.
Because outside the warehouse, a whole platoon of American soldiers stood guard.
This arrangement resulted from Josh befriending military officers during his time on the plane. One of these officers, a U.S. Army lieutenant in charge of a local unit stationed about 10 kilometers from the warehouse, was persuaded—thanks to a few bottles of fine liquor—to arrange for his platoon to "conduct drills" nearby.
With this security, even if Shelby had ten times the audacity, he wouldn’t dare make a move.
In terms of soldier quality, American troops weren’t exceptional, but their firepower had gained worldwide fame in just three years of involvement in the war.
A platoon of about 30 soldiers typically carried not just Garand rifles and Thompsons but also two light machine guns, one heavy machine gun, and three mortars.
With such firepower, sending a gang of thugs to hijack the shipment would be laughable.
Moreover, any conflict that led to American casualties would undoubtedly result in severe repercussions, with Birmingham itself likely facing U.S. occupation the very next day.
Josh, naturally, didn’t wield that much influence, but the U.S. Army’s reputation for sticking together meant Shelby wasn’t willing to risk testing their patience.
“Mr. Shelby, I’ll leave these goods in your hands. I’ll be waiting in London for your good news,” Lynden said arrogantly to Shelby after the inspection.
“Of course. The Shelby family greatly values this partnership. We will do our utmost to gather the payment within a week,” Shelby replied, shaking Lynden’s hand. Still, his eyes subtly glanced toward Josh, who stood not far behind Lynden.
Although Lynden Schneider had played his part impeccably, Thomas Shelby’s instincts told him that the young assistant had a far more significant role than he let on.
After handing over the shipment to the Shelby's, Josh and his team, along with the platoon of American soldiers, withdrew.
Operating under the guise of American influence in Allied territory was indeed satisfying.
“Boss, I think he figured it out,” Lynden remarked to Josh as they swayed in the jeep.
“So what if he did? If he’s smart, he’ll keep it to himself,” Josh replied with a faint smile, unconcerned.
Truthfully, Josh didn’t have much to worry about in Britain. If not for his plans for post-war business continuity, he wouldn’t even bother with the pretense.
During this era, as an American with military supplier connections, as long as Josh didn’t meddle with the British royal family, he had little to fear. Any major issue would likely end with extradition, which hardly fazed him.
After securing the partnership with the Peaky Blinders, a second-tier distributor, Josh’s group set off for London the following day.
The goods provided to the Peaky Blinders were mostly low-tier products. Given the gang’s social status, they were suitable only for handling such items.
The British, despite their centuries of colonial exploitation, still had deep financial reserves. Even the average citizen often had significant accumulated wealth. During the war, many British citizens weren’t short of money—they were short of goods.
At this time, any cargo ship loaded with supplies arriving in Britain could sell out within days at several times its original price. It wasn’t about affordability; it was about availability.
This was the inherent weakness of an island nation: blockade it, and no amount of money would bring in supplies.
However, once the blockade was lifted, Britain’s financial strength would allow for rapid recovery.
Josh’s goal was simply to skim off a fraction of this wealth for himself.
Among the high-end items in Josh’s inventory were premium chocolates, cigars, canned fruits, alcoholic beverages, fresh fruits, and cuts of beef, lamb, and pork.
Such luxury goods couldn’t be marketed to ordinary citizens; only London’s elite could afford them, ensuring maximum profit.
For this, Josh planned to collaborate with London’s prominent trading firms. Selling door-to-door wasn’t an option—it was beneath him.
By the time Josh and his group arrived in London, the actresses from his film company had already begun their military tour performances under the arrangement of the war relief organization. They were busy with daily shows and weren’t present at the hotel, returning only in the evenings.
When the actresses returned that night, Josh immediately noticed an issue.
“Where are Whitney and Angela?” Josh frowned, addressing two bodyguards with the group. Lynden Schneider’s expression also turned grim.
“Apologies, sir. Miss Whitney has been getting along quite well with Howard Stark since arriving in London. As for Angela, she’s been spending a lot of time with a U.S. Army officer named Joseph Kennedy. They both went willingly, so there wasn’t much we could do…” the bodyguards replied awkwardly, glancing primarily at Lynden.
After all, they knew Whitney and Josh only had a professional relationship. Whatever Whitney did with Howard Stark was her business, not Josh’s.
However, Angela’s actions had clearly landed Lynden with a green hat.
Josh could only cast a sympathetic glance at Lynden’s conflicted expression.
“Joseph Kennedy and Monroe... This really is a fateful entanglement,” Josh muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
