North America 1773: Do Britain and America even deserve to be called great powers?

Chapter 55 The Elegant Dancer

Andrew, like an elegant dancer, gracefully navigated through Jenny's relentless onslaught.

His footwork was precise and composed; every dodge was perfectly timed, every counterattack was sharp and accurate, and even his every leap precisely avoided the scattered bloodstains on the ground.

Silas and the surviving Lieutenant Hank, among others, were all dumbfounded.

They never imagined that this seemingly weak nobleman was actually a master swordsman.

His swordsmanship was not the sweeping, sweeping slashes typical of the military, but a deadly yet elegant art.

Jenny was soaked in sweat and blood. He had seven or eight wounds, none of which were fatal, but each one was bleeding and draining his strength.

His pride in his strength appeared clumsy and laughable in the face of his opponent's exquisite skills.

"roar!"

With his last ounce of strength, Jenny desperately used the cable hook as a throwing weapon, smashing it hard into Andrew's face.

Andrew didn't even move his feet, just tilted his head slightly, letting the iron hook fly past his blond hair and slam heavily onto the wooden box behind him.

At the same time, he took a step forward, his sword flashing out like lightning, then stopping an inch from Jenny's throat. The cold tip of the sword made the hairs on Jenny's body stand on end.

The outcome is decided.

Andrew sheathed his sword and carefully wiped away non-existent bloodstains from the blade with a snow-white handkerchief.

He looked at Jenny, who had collapsed from exhaustion, and the irritation on his face seemed to dissipate considerably. He tossed down his handkerchief, which landed squarely on Jenny's face.

"Hmm, much more fun than playing cards at the club," he said softly, then waved to the guards behind him. "Tie him up and take him back to the Governor's mansion. The Governor will be delighted with this gift."

The guards rushed forward, ready to bind Jenny tightly with iron chains.

Andrew slowly stepped over Jenny and finally stopped in front of Samuel.

Samuel remained kneeling on the ground, cradling Ben's gradually cooling body in his arms, his eyes lifeless.

Andrew glanced down at him, then at the hooded cloak he was wearing, which was trying to create an air of mystery, and curled his lips into a smirk.

"For freedom?" he asked softly, his tone tinged with a mocking imitation.

Samuel did not respond.

Andrew didn't mind. He turned to Lieutenant Hank beside him and patted him on the shoulder with the hilt of his sword.

"Lieutenant, have you decided how to write your report?"

Lieutenant Hank struggled to his feet, saluted, his expression complex. "Sir, I..."

"You bravely led the patrol team in a fierce battle with a group of vicious thugs at the Third Pier, successfully delaying the arrival of my troops and helping me capture the bandit leader alive."

Andrew gestured with his chin toward the survivors, Silas and Samuel.

"...These are 'loyal citizens' who bravely stepped forward, providing us with crucial intelligence and sustaining heroic wounds in the battle. Understand?"

Lieutenant Hank was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood and replied loudly, "Yes, sir! Completely understood!"

This is an attempt to completely shut down the matter, claim all the credit, and at the same time remove the "Sons of Liberty" from this bloody mess, turning them into usable tools.

As for how to utilize them, Lieutenant Hank knew that was beyond his control. But as long as it involved striking at the Sons of Liberty, it wouldn't betray his loyalty to His Majesty!

In the deepest shadows of the warehouse, Captain Marcus, his crotch already soaked, stared intently at everything that was happening inside after the situation had stabilized.

He cannot surrender without a fight. If he can destroy everything in the warehouse, then he will still have a chance.

Just then, Captain Marcus saw an opportunity amidst the chaos.

"God help me, who would have thought that there would be kerosene barrels and fuses in this dilapidated warehouse?"

He quietly took out a flint and steel from his pocket and lit the fuse of an oil drum hidden among a pile of goods nearby, creating greater chaos so that he could escape in the confusion.

As long as he wasn't caught on the spot, he could still ask his relatives to plead for him and allow him to stay in the army.

"boom!"

A huge fireball shot into the sky, and the orange-red flames instantly ignited the mountains of goods piled up around it.

Thick black smoke quickly spread, reducing visibility inside the warehouse to a minimum, making it difficult for people to open their eyes.

Andrew Gage covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and retreated to the warehouse door. The relaxed mood he had just enjoyed due to the sword duel was completely ruined by this sudden turn of events, and the lazy expression on his face vanished instantly.

A perfectly timed suppression of the rebellion was his gift to the governor.

An uncontrollable fire would be a slap in the face to the entire governor's mansion, turning his achievements into a scandal.

"Put out the fire! Put out the fire!" For the first time, he used the undisguised tone of a noble officer. "Captain of the Guard! Seal all exits! Don't let a single person escape! Especially that arsonist!"

His whip pointed deep into the warehouse, where Captain Marcus was trying to get up amidst the chaos.

The captain of the guard received the order and immediately organized his men.

The governor's guards were well-trained. Some of them quickly tore off their heavy scarlet coats, soaked them, and rushed into the fire to extinguish the flames, while others formed a living wall, trapping all the rioters inside the warehouse.

"here you go!"

Jenny was overjoyed at the sight, assuming the explosion was caused by his men. He immediately seized this golden opportunity, scrambled to his feet, knocked down two nearby guards, and charged toward the side door like a mad bull.

"Stop him!" the captain of the guard roared.

Three soldiers immediately stepped forward and formed a makeshift obstacle with their smoothbore muskets fitted with bayonets.

Jenny, unarmed yet utterly fearless, grabbed a piece of burnt crossbeam from the ground and hurled it at the bayonet.

A dull cracking sound rang out, followed by a powerful blow from the captain of the guard with the butt of his rifle.

Jenny's knees were deformed from the blows, and his burly body crashed to the ground with a roar of defiance before being held down by several soldiers.

Silas, Samuel, and other members of the Sons of Liberty were also stopped during their escape.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the fire and the battle at the main gate, no one noticed a sewer drain behind the warehouse that connected to the harbor's seawater.

The cold seawater surged in the canal, and a smell mixed with rust and seaweed filled the air.

The rusty iron fence was silently pried open from the outside by a pair of gloved hands.

Seamus was the first to emerge from the waist-deep, foul-smelling canal water.

He was wrapped in a thick canvas coated with grease, which kept the cold seawater out.

Immediately afterwards, six men dressed just like him followed him in silently, like rats on the dock.

They were elites personally selected by Seamus from Finn's gang of thugs who were best at drilling and picking locks; they were Boston's true "rats."