Christian Underclass Gathering

After seeing off the British Navy visitors on the first day, the Free Trade opened its doors to the France community on the second day. However, after the day's opening, the London Merchant Daily suddenly published a major news story.

"According to information we obtained from the France Ministry of Foreign Trade, the steam-powered frigate 'Free Trade' is likely to be a featured item at the next Brazilian trade fair. This visit is, in fact, also aimed at promoting it. Moreover, after completing its visit to the Britain, the 'Free Trade' will visit other countries in succession..."

The Britain had much speculation beforehand about the France's motives. Most believed it was a show of force by the Britain France. Many suspected the France were planning something else, perhaps in Ireland or elsewhere. Now it seems France had no such intentions at all...

"Are the France really that greedy?" the Butcher said with a smirk. "The France are really... if you're willing to pay, they'll even sell you the Noose they use to hang themselves."

"Butcher, you're right," said Old Fagin, who had just returned to Petticoat Lane from Ireland. "However, your perspective on this issue is a bit narrow. The France love money, but France also have big ambitions. They're interested in more than just the money from selling a few boats. Their purpose in doing this is actually a demonstration."

"What's with the demonstration?" Buck asked. "Are France and Britain going to war again?"

"The France don't want that, so they hope to use this method to make the Britain government clearly see how much Britain would lose if the two countries went to war. In fact, if you just think about who benefits from peace, you'll know who wants peace."

"What a pity," Buck said.

"Buck, don't pin your hopes on these things. The liberation of the Britain people ultimately depends on themselves. First and foremost, it is essential to make the people aware of their own power."

"The power of the people?"

"Yes, the power of the people. That's the most important thing I learned during my trip to France and Ireland. You see, the people in the France government these days also love money. To be honest, loving money is in the nature of most people, and there's not much to criticize about that. But the France government would never dare to do what the Britain did, driving farmers off their land and sending them to factories to receive a three- to four-year reprieve from their death sentence."

France's land is far more fertile and warmer than Britain's, naturally producing more grain. In France, I saw the government allocate funds specifically to build irrigation canals and install electric pumps for farmers, which even caused a significant increase in copper prices across Europe. Furthermore, France has the lowest agricultural taxes in Europe. France farmers cultivate fertile land, without nobles collecting rent, and the government's tax revenue is so low—it might not even be enough to cover the cost of building those irrigation facilities. Why does the France government treat France farmers so well, even to the point of pandering to them?"

"Why?" Buck asked.

"Because they demonstrated their strength," Fagin said. "During the France Revolutionary Wars, most of the soldiers came from the countryside; they were peasants. They formed collectives in the army, and even after demobilization, they maintained close ties with each other. These demobilized soldiers organized the France peasantry. So if the France government wanted to do anything that would harm their interests, these were people who had fought and rebelled. Heaven knows what they were capable of. Therefore, the France government not only dared not oppress them, but even tried to appease them."

Furthermore, as you know, I also spent a considerable amount of time in Ireland, and the situation there confirms this."

"Fagin, tell us about Ireland," the Butcher said.

"Well, alright, I'll tell you about it. As you know, after Britain and France reached peace, the Britain government also signed a ceasefire agreement with the Ireland resistance, but this agreement is actually..."

The Britain government in Ireland and the rebels reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, halting large-scale clashes. However, this did not mean that peace had truly been achieved; small-scale skirmishes continued almost constantly.

In the "non-security zone," the stronghold of the Society of United Irishmen, preparations for war were almost constant. Previously, the Irish Independence Army's weapons and equipment came partly from France aid and partly from spoils of war captured from the British Army. But now, the Irish Independence Army had another source of weapons—homemade.

The Society of United Irishmen recognized that the current peace was not necessarily secure. The Britain could return whenever possible. After the armistice was signed, aid from France gradually decreased, which was normal, as aid costs a lot of money, and there was no imminent danger, so aid naturally decreased.

"Revolution and independence are ultimately our own business; we cannot rely on the France for everything. The France are our friends, and our friendship with France is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea. But we cannot rely on our friends for everything. If someone relies on their friends for everything but does nothing themselves, what do we call that person? Should we call them useless? Our comrades in the Federation cannot become such useless people." These were the words of the Federation's president Russell, to their fighters. Therefore, during this period, they insisted on self-reliance and even established their own arsenal,"Fagin.

"Their arsenal? A bunch of farmers built an arsenal?" Iron Tooth asked in astonishment. "What can they produce?"

"Some simple but effective weapons, such as landmines. However, more importantly, they stockpiled a large amount of supplies during this period, and they were constantly strengthening their organization. Strengthening organization is the most fundamental secret."

Butcher, Buck, Iron Tooth, do you know the most important thing I learned in France and Ireland is that we must be organized, we must build a broad organization to unite our strength and fight for our people's interests. I've decided that we must reorganize our organization, expand it, and first bring in the workers from the surrounding area."

"And then?" the Butcher asked.

"Then our union will step in to represent the workers and make demands of those who own the factories. And then, naturally, comes the struggle—both overt and covert, the kind of struggle we're more familiar with. First, our goals shouldn't be too big; we should start small, but in ways that the workers can feel..."

"Yeah, you're the boss, what you say goes," Buck said. "So, what should we call our new gang?"

"We do need a new name," Fagin said. "Well, we're spreading the true gospel of God, the gospel of salvation, the gospel of liberation. Let's call it 'Christian Underclass Gathering.' These days I've been in France, discussing doctrinal issues with some priests. I feel I'm one step closer to understanding God's will."

"Tell us about it, boss," the Butcher said.

"Well, in Toulon, I met a priest named Torres who had participated in the French Revolution. He talked to me and mentioned his experiences during the Revolution. I asked him, 'What do you think of the France Revolution?' He replied, 'The Revolution was God's will, God's correction of the Church that had strayed from the path of salvation.' Then he told me a story."

A woman in her forties—who looked as old as seventy—came to him after Mass and said sadly, "Father, I didn't confess before receiving Holy Communion."

"How did you come to be, my child?" he asked her.

"Father," she replied, "I am late, arriving just as you have begun distributing Holy Communion. For three days I have had nothing to eat but water; I am starving. When I saw you distributing Holy Communion, handing out those tiny pieces of white bread, I went to receive Holy Communion only to eat that little bit of bread."

Tears welled in his eyes as he recalled Jesus' words: 'My flesh (bread) is real food... and whoever eats me will live because of me.'

That evening, during prayer, he received a completely new revelation. He said:

'Man was created in the image and likeness of God. The cry of the poor to live is the voice of God. God is not a God of death, but a living Lord who can hear the cry of God's people. The judgment of history is the final judgment; what is done to the poor and the humble is what is done to Jesus. The Savior whom Christ believe in is present in these faces distorted by poverty. Christ cannot remain indifferent before such history. Theology that contemplates heavenly mysteries in quiet academies must die; theology must be grounded, bearing the cross of history, and fighting for the lives and liberation of the poor. This is the Messianic redemption. Redemption is liberation.'

In his view, the church had made a series of mistakes, leading it further and further astray from the path of Jesus. Therefore, God would use a revolution, with blood and fire, to correct it.

He told me, 'Such history cannot be missed; to miss such history means to miss God's revelation and the opportunity to become a true Christ.'

I find this kind of thinking, this kind of interpretation of the Bible, to be very good and very useful. Father Torres gave me a notebook of his Bible reading notes. In it, he wrote many of his reflections on the Bible. From now on, we will use this kind of theological thinking to motivate and organize the workers."