Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

"What do you think of this ranch?" Henry asked Eagle, pointing to the desolate Beecher's Wish.

After surveying the ranch on his eagle king (his horse's name), Flying Eagle said:

"It's pretty good. Although the ranch is a bit desolate, it's large enough and there are many animals around. It's bordered by the Blackwater to the east, the Upper Montana River to the north, forests to the west, and the Great Plains to the south. I think I would be happy to live here."

“I’m planning to have someone buy it and give it to your tribe as a place to live. What do you think? You can then freely cultivate the land, hunt in the forest or grassland, and fish in the river. There shouldn’t be a shortage of food.”

Actually, when Flying Eagle was surveying the ranch, he was thinking how wonderful it would be if he could buy it for his people to live on. However, he knew the authorities' hostility towards their race and that it was impossible for them to be sold such a large ranch. He was a bit reckless, but he wasn't stupid; he understood the current situation.

Only Henry could buy this ranch. He just didn't know how to bring it up; Henry had been helping them unconditionally all this time, and they hadn't given anything in return. While he was still hesitating, his mind racing, Henry took the initiative and said what he wanted.

Eagle and Lorian were deeply moved by Henry's concern for them. They didn't understand why Henry was so kind to their tribe, but they were in a dire situation; besides their reservation, they had nothing left to lose. They could only seize every opportunity to ensure the survival of their people. As long as Henry wasn't maliciously pushing them into the abyss, they were willing to pay the price with their lives. Henry recruited 3 more people...

Just as Flying Eagle and his men were excited and ready to respond to Henry, Henry poured cold water on their enthusiasm.

"However, don't get too excited yet. It's not safe here right now. There's a really scumbag gang in the tall forest nearby called the Skinning Brothers. They're made up of some killers, thieves, and some Native Americans who have lost their tribes."

They take pleasure in killing and enjoy using cruel and bloody methods to torture people, such as scalping, dismembering, and roasting. This is the main reason why no one has ever bought this ranch.

Alternatively, in the next couple of days, after you've sent the smallpox vaccine and some urgently needed medicines back to the tribe, you can have a serious talk with Chief Luoyu to see if you should send some of your tribesmen to settle here. Set up the necessary equipment, and after you've eliminated the Skinning Brothers gang, then the entire tribe can migrate here.”

“I’ll have a good talk with my father, I’ll persuade him, and then I’ll lead my people to drive the Skinning Brothers out of this land. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Henry. If there’s anything I can help you with, just say the word, and I’ll do my best to help.” Eagle wasn’t afraid of the Skinning Brothers; he knew that unless there were special circumstances, the ranch wouldn’t be sitting empty waiting for them.

"That's not all, there's even worse news. Leviticus Cornwall, I don't know if you've heard of him, he's a railroad tycoon, a sugar merchant, and an oil magnate. The railroads you've seen along the way were all built by his company. He's very powerful, and now he's plotting with Colonel Favors, who's overseeing you, to take over your reservations."

Cornwall has its eye on the oil beneath your land, while Favors has its eye on you people. He wants you to be a part of his military achievements, and he wants to incite you to rebel. This is the main reason why he often withholds your medicine.

So you need to stay calm. They are still discussing countermeasures and won't implement them so quickly. You still have time.

My advice is: if the reserve land really can't be saved, then so be it. Living is always more important than a piece of land. This is also why I want you to try your best to relocate and integrate into society; that way, they won't be able to persecute you, at least not openly.

Of course, this is just my suggestion; you can decide for yourselves how to choose.

Let's go back.

The journey back was rather quiet. Henry had said everything he needed to say; he had taken considerable risks in protecting the Native American tribes. After nearly a century of massacres, the Native American population was dwindling, and calls for sympathy for them were growing louder. The upper classes no longer cared about the Native Americans, but ultimately, many still disliked them.

As for how the Rainfall Tribe will ultimately choose, that's up to them. He can't force someone to drink water. He doesn't need them to repay him; he's only paying for it out of compassion.

The silence of the Eagles stemmed from their anxiety about the future of their people, their anger at the shamelessness of Cornwall and Favors, and their contemplation of the veracity of Henry's information and how to persuade their people to relinquish the reservation, among other things.

A jumble of thoughts overwhelmed him. Before meeting Henry, he had never thought about these things; he simply wanted to protect his people.

As for Li Yi, he's just a bystander, currently trying to build a relationship with his Chi Yan. He just needs to follow Henry.

The next day, Flying Eagle and Lorian returned to Wapiti with smallpox vaccine and other much-needed medicines for the tribe, while Antora was left behind to follow Henry.

Henry plans to go to the Land Administration Bureau today to buy the Quaker Bay and Beecher's Wish properties. He had asked William's butler yesterday to inquire about the properties. Currently, the Quaker Bay and surrounding lands belong to the government, while Beecher's Wish belongs to the bank. For various reasons, neither of these properties has attracted any interest.

Upon arriving at the city government center (Blackwater, despite its name, is actually the capital of West Elizabeth State), Henry explained his purpose to the staff and was taken to the mayor's office.

Mayor James was delighted to hear that someone wanted to buy the land in Quaker Bay and warmly welcomed Henry inside. After all, ever since the Howling Wolf Gang appeared in the thieves' territory and killed the original owner of Quaker Bay, no one had paid any attention to the land, leaving it unsold and unwanted.

It's almost time for a new mayoral election. If he doesn't achieve something soon, he won't be eligible for the next term. (Early American municipal administration widely adopted a city council system, which can be divided into "strong mayor" and "weak mayor" systems. Blackwater is set as a weak mayor system, where the mayor is generally elected by the city council and performs ceremonial duties, subject to the city council in decision-making and administration. The work of each administrative department of the city government is supervised by committees of the city council, and the heads of important administrative departments are directly elected by voters. Each department has decision-making power. Saint Denis is set as a transition period from a weak mayor system to a strong mayor system, which will be discussed later. The administrative systems of the federal, state, city, county, and town levels in the United States are quite interesting; most of them are self-governing. Those interested can search it on Baidu.)

"Mr. Allen, I heard you're looking to buy that piece of land in Quaker Bay, is that right? I wonder how large an area you're interested in?" Mayor James asked.

"I wonder how much land the mayor can grant me, and how much it will cost to buy it?" Henry turned the question back on me. In negotiations, it's important to know how to take the initiative.

"Including the Quaker Bay wharf, 100 acres in area, $8000, what does Mr. Allen think?" This is 1899, still in the final stages of the westward expansion, and land sales policies are relatively lenient. In a few years, large-scale land sales will become much more difficult.

"As far as I know, Beecher's Wish is also 100 acres in size, and it's priced at less than $2000. In addition, Quaker Bay is connected to the bandits' territory, and no one has dared to go there for several years. Unless the mayor can help me get rid of the Howling Wolf gang members who are occupying the bandits' territory, I will have to find someone else to buy it from."

The mayor wasn't embarrassed; making money wasn't shameful. "No, no, how about $5000? You know, if you can clear out the Howling Wolf Gang, the land there will be worth at least several times more, and it even has its own dock that only needs a little repair to be usable."

“Alright, I’ll still give you $8000, but I want 200 acres (approximately 800m x 1000m), from the Lower Montana River to the Quaker Bay pier. What does the mayor think?” Henry circled an area on the map with his hand and slipped a $100 bill onto it, gesturing for James to come over.

Mayor James pondered for a moment. 200 acres wasn't out of the question. Although it was a bit large, there was still room for maneuver given the $100 price tag. After all, because of the Howling Wolf Gang, practically no one would go there. That piece of land had been sitting there since he took office, and no one had ever bothered with it. If it were sold now, Henry Allen would have to develop it anyway, which would solve a wave of unemployment and stimulate consumption—a win-win situation.

After thinking it over, James quietly put away his month's salary under the map, extended his hand and shook hands with Henry Allen. "Deal, it's a pleasure to cooperate, Mr. Allen. However, I hope that Mr. Allen will give more consideration to the workers in our city during the construction."

“No problem, Mr. James. I look forward to working with you again.” Henry replied happily.

Next, Henry went to the bank again and spent $2000 to buy Beecher's Wish.

After signing the handover documents, they returned to the bar to wait for Ashley and the Carter brothers to arrive.