Red Dead Redemption: The Great Philanthropist of the West

At Henry's house, he was sipping a Coke made by Lafayette according to a later recipe, while looking at the intelligence reports Paul had sent over the past few days.

In the past few days, Paul and Eagle had settled things with the tavern and fur trading post at the Stoneland Trading Post. The owner was quite sensible and sold the tavern to Henry at market price, but he requested to join Henry's group. After consulting with Henry, Paul agreed, explained the corresponding requirements and rules, and allowed him to continue managing the tavern at the Stoneland Trading Post.

The activities and objectives of Norman, Marty, Severus, and others, whom we had previously investigated, have also been determined. They mainly frequented the dock area, especially the ship management office. According to dockworkers and ship management staff, they were inquiring about the arrival times of various large ships, particularly those arriving in April and those with ties to banks.

They also went in and out of the North District Bank area a few times, supposedly to inquire with the staff. But that staff member is now missing and can't be found.

The day after Micah's incident, Norman got into a fight on a street corner in the East End and was locked up next to Micah.

Strangely, after Norman was imprisoned, Marty and Severus became well-behaved. Once Norman was released, they left Blackwater immediately. Their scouts have just arrived in Strawberry Town.

As for Pinkerton, after discovering that the Odrisco gang was gathering information about the armored truck, they had another secret meeting with the people who had spread the information. Then, while the people who had spread the information were seemingly chatting casually with others, they revealed the amount of cash the armored truck would carry and its arrival time. The next day, the people who had spread the information also disappeared.

Meanwhile, Agent Milton, the head of the Pinkerton Blackwater branch, disappeared with a large number of men after visiting Congressman Matthew. Now, only a few people remain to guard the Pinkerton Blackwater branch.

As for the few members of Fan's gang who were attracting attention, Hosea and Arthur remained the same, spending their days chatting and playing cards with those con artists.

Micah and Dutch were quite active. First, they went to the North District Bank and the East District Dock to obtain more detailed information about the armored trucks. They even bribed a police officer to subtly inquire about the relationship between the police department's higher-ups and the North District Bank. Then, they loitered around various intersections in the four districts. Finally, they even hired a thug in each of the four districts to deliberately cause trouble and secretly observe their police response times.

In addition, many members of the Van Gang also began to appear in Blackwater. These included John, Sean, Javier, Uncle, Lenny, and Karen. They were mostly just wandering around Blackwater. Paul thought they were getting their bearings and familiarizing themselves with the surrounding area.

Of course, Mike, David, and Jenny also came, but Henry was in Blackwater at the time, checking on the construction progress of the estate in Quaker Bay. They then went to the Blackwater Bar as a group and, becoming quite the foodies, raved about the food and drinks.

Since the last banquet, Jenny and Mike's relationship has improved significantly, and Mike has had a taste of being an older brother. He often teaches Jenny marksmanship and physical skills, explaining combat techniques to her. When Jenny doesn't learn well, he imitates David and gives her a good beating. Jenny doesn't get annoyed; instead, she somewhat enjoys this familial bond. Even Lenny gets jealous, often shamelessly sitting by and listening, learning quite a bit in the process, though neither of them likes to acknowledge him.

Seeing this, Henry realized that Dutch did have some talent; if he were truly a fool, he couldn't have lived so long and lived so freely. Unfortunately, his direction was wrong, and even the most detailed plan was of little use.

After taking a sip of his 00 Coke, Henry took out his notebook and reviewed the clues he had gathered so far.

1. Pinkerton seems to be intentionally leaking information about the armored truck.

2. Pinkerton's focus is on the Howling Wolves and the Odrisches gang; they seem unaware of the Van der Linde gang's involvement.

3. O'Driscoll's "Skinny Monkey" seems to have deliberately leaked information to Micah.

4. Micah and Dutch have their eyes on the armored ship.

Based on the intelligence gathered so far, Henry is almost certain that the Blackwater heist was a trap, a trap set by Pinkertons. Their motives for setting the trap are still unclear, but Henry speculates that it might be because the Anti-Pinkerton Act, passed by Congress in 1893 due to the labor movement, stripped Pinkerton detectives of their authority and significantly diminished their status. They might want to replicate their past success in protecting President Lincoln and demonstrate their value by solving major cases. However, their initial target was certainly not the Van der Linde gang.

As for what role the Odrisco gang played, it's hard to say for now, as we don't have enough information, but that doesn't affect the development of the event. We'll see later.

After sorting through these clues, Henry decided to begin his own arrangements.

Henry's goal was actually quite simple: to protect the Calander brothers and little Jenny—a matter of staying true to his original intentions. Although he didn't urgently need force anymore, he'd still lend a hand if he could. These three were quite good. Ideally, he could get them to leave the Van Cleef gang altogether.

He's been keeping an eye on Dutch lately, so he knows Dutch's planned escape route. He'll have people prepare in advance to pick up the wounded. Perhaps he should remind Mike not to rush too far ahead this time, or he'll be caught in a Maxim attack and there won't be any saving him.

Henry first took stock of his current armed forces, and then considered how to arrange the personnel.

His direct combat forces include:

Li Yi, the bodyguard, is proficient in Xingyi Quan, light footwork, and throwing knives. Recently, he has also improved his mid-to-long-range marksmanship, which is now very close to first-class level.

Armed Special Forces Team:

Jack Roberts, a former cavalry captain, is skilled in mounted archery and possesses considerable sniping ability.

Allie Johnson, a legendary female bounty hunter, is a master of dual-wielding shooting and a skilled close-range assault expert.

Tom Smith excels at investigation and tracking, and has above-average combat skills.

Henry Jones, a field medic, specializes in treating external injuries and wound infections.

Zhang Wei, an assassin, is skilled in daggers, disguise, theft, and agility.

His manor guard is not yet fully formed; Robert has only recruited a few retired elite soldiers who are currently receiving training at the manor and are also responsible for its security. They can be deployed in case of emergency.

In addition, there are his allies:

A Native American tribe, led by Eagle, comprised a dozen or so able-bodied young men. Skilled in stealth, tracking, and assassination.

Grant, a legendary sharpshooter, is skilled with a revolver and suited for close-quarters assaults. In emergencies, he can mobilize a group of police officers.

Ashley, one of the Carl brothers, leads a 20-strong moonshine guard, mostly elite bounty hunters.

It seems my own direct combat force is a bit short-handed, not even as many as my allies. Looks like I need to hurry up and build a guard unit and expand my armed special forces team. Otherwise, I won't have enough manpower.

This plan needs to be kept secret. It's best not to let outsiders know that he's involved, otherwise it will lower his popularity and affect his candidacy for parliament.