1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Unlike London, the town of Wilkesworth in Derbyshire boasts fresh air and beautiful scenery.

The atmosphere at the LeBron family home returned to its long-lost tranquility and peace.

That hundred pounds wired from London was like a timely spring rain, completely washing away the gloom that had recently hung over this family...

The debts were fully paid off, and the mortgaged shops were returned to Charlie LeBlanc's hands.

Just two weeks ago, when Bella and Anna returned from London, the whole town was in an uproar!

Michel Leblanc, the son of a businessman who was good for nothing except his handsome appearance, actually became a writer who was quite famous in London!

The newspapers that Bella and Anna brought confirmed this fact.

The news quickly spread to every corner of the town.

The LeBron family's social standing underwent a dramatic transformation as a result...

When Bella went to the market with her basket, the vendors who used to ignore her now rushed to offer her the freshest vegetables and the most succulent meat at very low prices.

When Anna walks down the street, she always receives greetings from all directions, some envious, some flattering.

Many families also want to propose marriage...

Even his former colleagues at the town hall, who used to treat Charlie LeBlanc coldly, have now become polite.

Charlie enjoyed this long-lost respect, and most of the resentment in his heart dissipated.

He was, of course, incredibly proud of his son's achievements.

But amidst his pride, a subtle sense of loss quietly began to grow in his heart.

Once upon a time, he was the pillar of this family, the support for his wife and children.

But now, it is his son, who is far away in London, who is saving his family from disaster.

Hmm... Don't ask who caused this water and fire...

In short, this feeling greatly impacted Charlie's traditional patriarchal mindset.

He desperately wanted to do something to prove that he was still the pillar of this family...

Soon, it seemed that he had been waiting for such an opportunity.

That afternoon, Charlie returned home from the town hall with an unusual excitement on his face.

"Bella! Anna! Come out quickly, I have some amazing news to tell you!"

He started shouting as soon as he entered the door.

Bella and Anna, who were preparing dinner in the kitchen, came out when they heard the noise.

"What's making you so happy, Charlie?"

Bella took off her apron and asked curiously.

"Today I met a very special person at the church entrance!"

Charlie lowered his voice, sounding mysterious.

"His name is Vincent LeBron, and he's said to be a distant relative of our LeBron family! He just came back from making a fortune in America!"

"A distant relative?" Bella and Anna exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of wariness in each other's expressions.

Why did they have to show up only after their family's life improved?

Charlie noticed his wife and daughter's doubts and quickly waved his hand.

"Oh dear, this time it's different! This Mr. Vincent is a big shot now. He used to be an officer in the British Army, and now he's... oh, a senior executive at the Mississippi Western Railway!"

"Speaking of which, his dad and I were friends. I even held him when he was little. It's a pity they moved away early..."

He tried hard to recall the news he had heard, his face beaming with excitement.

"Vincent said that a railway is currently under construction in North America, running from Canada to New York, which requires a lot of capital. Our British investors will not only receive high dividends, but also have priority to immigrate to North America and be allocated land along the railway line!"

"He also said that to give back to his hometown, he'll be giving away free bread and eggs at the church entrance tomorrow! Even the pastor praised him as a generous gentleman!"

Charlie became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had made a fortune in America and could already see a glittering future beckoning to him.

"This... sounds amazing!" Anna couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Bella, on the other hand, had her brows furrowed.

How can a pie fall from the sky?

She has become suspicious since going bankrupt.

"Charlie, calm down," Bella's tone became serious.

"We've just climbed out of the mire; we can't afford to take any more risks. I don't think this is a good idea."

Why don't you believe me?

Charlie's face flushed red instantly.

"This is a golden opportunity for our family to turn our lives around! Do you want to spend your whole life stuck with this sock workshop?"

"Mr. Vincent said that with a minimum investment of just five pounds, you can expect to receive 10% to 20% in dividends each year!"

"We are relatives, and he is willing to give us a larger share of the investment."

His voice carried a hint of annoyance at being slighted.

"Dad, aren't we living a good life now? Michel earns enough in London for us to live comfortably."

Anna also offered her advice.

"Moreover, Michel has connections in London, so our sock workshop might just grow bigger and stronger."

"We don't need to take that risk at all."

Charlie became even more agitated when Michelle was mentioned.

"That's Michelle's money! Not mine! I'm the head of the family, and I have to be responsible for the future of this family!"

He practically yelled it out.

Seeing her husband's stubborn and frustrated expression, Bella's heart softened.

She knew that her husband just wanted to prove himself again.

Bella sighed and softened her tone.

"Charlie, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that we've already gone bankrupt once, we can't be careless."

"How about this, let's go to the church together tomorrow, see Mr. Vincent in person, and hear what he has to say, okay?"

Charlie's expression softened when he heard his wife relent.

"Alright! You'll come with me tomorrow! Then you'll see I didn't misjudge you!"

He clenched his fists, as if he had seized the opportunity that would allow him to regain his former glory.

Anna and Bella exchanged a worried look.

They sensed that a new storm might be quietly approaching this family that had just found peace.

The next morning, the LeBlanc family arrived at the town's church.

The sight before them took them by surprise.

The place was already packed with people; almost half the town had gathered here.

Among the crowd were farmers who had lost their land, artisans whose workshops had gone bankrupt, and many ordinary villagers who, like the LeBlanc family, felt lost about the future.

Each person's face carried a mixture of anticipation and doubt.

A makeshift wooden platform was temporarily erected in the open space in front of the church.

On the table below the stage, there was a tall stack of white bread and eggs.

It looks incredibly tempting.

This is a rare treat that can only be enjoyed during holidays and festivals.

A tall, resolute-looking middle-aged man is standing on the stage, delivering a passionate speech.

He wore a crisp woolen coat with several gleaming medals on his chest, and his every move exuded the competence and dignity of a soldier.

He is Vincent LeBron.

"My compatriots, my loved ones! I, Vincent LeBron, am back!"

His voice was loud and magnetic, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"In the vast expanse of North America, I see the future hope of our Great British Empire! There are endless forests, fertile lands, and gold and wealth buried underground! And connecting all of this is what we are building—the Mississippi Western Railway!"

He opened his arms as if to embrace a great era.

"This magnificent railroad will stretch across the entire North American continent like a steel dragon! It needs your strength and your investment! And what it will reward you with is tenfold, a hundredfold wealth!"

In fact, in that era, railway investment was indeed a lucrative path to wealth.

The premise is that it has to be reliable.

After the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad opened in 1830 and the Champlain-St. Lawrence Railroad was completed in 1836, the "North American Railroad" became a get-rich-quick scheme in the eyes of the British people.

At the same time, Britain in 1837 was experiencing an economic slowdown and rising interest rates. Ordinary people had little savings and could not find reliable investment channels. The high returns advertised for overseas railway investments hit the mark for their desire to escape poverty and become rich overnight.

A commotion arose in the crowd, and greed gleamed in the eyes of many.

"I know that many of you have doubts," Vincent said, his gaze sweeping across the audience.

"You might ask, why should we be the ones to benefit from such a wonderful opportunity? Because I am also a son of this land! I will never forget the people of Wilkesworth! I hope to lead everyone towards prosperity!"

His words were highly persuasive and successfully evoked people's feelings of nostalgia for their hometown.

Surely our fellow villagers wouldn't lie to us, would they?

"With a minimum investment of just five pounds, you can become a shareholder of our Mississippi Western Railway! You'll receive a stable annual dividend of 10% to 20%!"

"If you invest twenty pounds, your descendants will be eligible to immigrate to North America and receive one hundred acres of land along the railroad! That's a promised land flowing with milk and honey!"

"The land of America is rich and vast, the moon is much rounder than in England! And the air smells sweet!"

The crowd erupted in cheers!

Dividends! Immigration! Land!

Every word struck a chord in the hearts of these ordinary people.

This is a wonderful future they never dared to dream of.

Two hundred years have passed since the Mayflower set sail for the New World in 1620.

The British people's impression of the new continent of America has also changed repeatedly.

From initial contempt, thinking it was a desolate place where only criminals were exiled, to hatred during the War of Independence, and now to feelings of envy.

After all, it's really impossible to survive in the UK right now.

Without land, you'll starve... Working in a factory will kill you with exhaustion...

In that new continent, there was land, jobs, and opportunities.

I heard that once you go to that new continent, you'll have land, work, and won't go hungry.

It can be said that in this day and age, immigrating to the United States is seen as a tremendous opportunity by the British lower class.

Charlie LeBlanc stood in the crowd, trembling with excitement.

He clenched his fists tightly, muttering to himself:

"I told you... I told you this was a good opportunity..."

Compared to Charlie's excitement, Bella and Anna were much calmer.

They squeezed to the edge of the crowd, carefully observing Vincent on the stage and the enthusiastic crowd below.

After his speech, Vincent announced that the investment would now begin.

"Register to invest today and receive half a dozen eggs and a white bread as a token of the company's appreciation!"

People swarmed toward a long table in front of the stage, eagerly pulling out the hard-earned money they had saved up their whole lives.

I was terrified of missing this life-changing investment opportunity...

Anna noticed that Vincent's assistant only accepted gold and silver coins, and refused to accept any paper money.

For each investment they receive, they issue a beautifully printed receipt stamped with a rather complicated-looking company seal.

"With this certificate, you can collect your dividends every year at our company's London office!" the assistant shouted.

"Go to London to collect your dividends?" Anna frowned even more deeply.

For the town's residents, the cost of a trip to London is a considerable expense, which undoubtedly sets a very high barrier to realizing future dividends.

The church pastor also came forward, shook hands with Vincent with a big smile, and praised him for bringing good news to the town.

This final scene completely dispelled the last doubts in most people's hearts.

"Bella, what are we waiting for?" Charlie could no longer contain himself. He grabbed his wife's hand and tried to squeeze into the crowd.

"You have all the money in the house, hurry up and give it to us! We need to invest at least twenty pounds!"

"No!" Bella abruptly shook off his hand, her attitude absolutely resolute.

"Charlie, wake up! This all feels so unreal!"

"You!" Charlie's face turned ashen with anger.

"Even the pastor testified for him, how could it be a hoax! Do you look down on me? Do you think I'm incompetent?"

The couple's argument immediately drew strange looks from those around them.

"Dad, Mom is right," Anna quickly pulled her father back.

"There are too many suspicious points in this matter. We can't risk all the money in the family. At the very least, we should ask Michelle's opinion first."

"Michel is far away in London, what does he know about railways! He only knows how to write stories!"

Charlie was still being stubborn, but his tone wasn't as forceful as before.

"It's precisely because he's in London that he was able to help us find out whether this 'Mississippi Western Railway Company' actually existed!"

Anna's voice wasn't loud, but every word she spoke made sense.

"Dad, please trust us one more time. We'll write to Michel right away, and we'll make a decision after we get his reply, okay?"

"We can afford to wait this long."

As Charlie looked at the pleading expressions on his wife and daughter's faces, the fervor in his heart gradually cooled down.

Yes, asking Michelle would always be a safer approach.

He sighed deeply and finally gave in.

"Alright...we'll do as you say. Let's go home and write the letter!"

The family turned and left the church, which had become engulfed in a frenzied atmosphere.

Upon returning home, Anna immediately spread out a sheet of letter paper and dipped it in ink.

I recorded everything that happened today, word by word.

She wrote quickly, her handwriting filled with anxiety.

Hopefully, the writer brother who lives far away in London can give the family a definite answer.

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P.S.: While researching for this chapter, I found it somewhat laughable. It just goes to show that for the past two hundred years, humanity has remained a parrot.

根据1838年《伦敦公报》记载，仅1837-1838年，英国乡村就发生至少6起类似的「北美铁路募资骗局」，涉及金额累计超过800英镑（相当于当时普通村民80年的收入）。

After one of the scams was exposed, the scammers eventually fled to continental Europe, and only a few were caught (most of them eventually went nowhere due to insufficient evidence).

Meanwhile, the financial panic that broke out in the United States in 1837 brought the construction of North American railroads to a standstill, and a large number of British private investments were lost, which also provided cover for such scams.

The information comes from the following articles; you can take a look if you have the time.

Dispelling the Myth of the Naive Investor during the British Railway Mania, 1845–46 (2012)

"Government Policy during the British Railway Mania and the 1847 Commercial Crisis"

"Democratizing Speculation: The Great Railway Mania" (2020)