The recruitment of female workers was successfully completed this time.
Not only were 150 female workers recruited, but 23 gunmen were also selected from the families of these 150 female workers, bringing the current number of gunmen in the camp to 40.
Forty people is barely enough to have some self-preservation in this gang-ridden West.
However, relying solely on rifles and pistols is still not safe enough.
Therefore, weapons also need to be updated; not only do various explosives need to be stockpiled, but several Maxim machine guns must also be prepared, and even one or two small bunkers should be built at the entrance.
As dawn broke, the people at Hope Happiness Ranch gradually began to wake up.
"Good morning, Arthur."
"Good morning, Mary-Beth."
"Oh, Marston, can you please not start smoking so early in the morning? Is it that hard for me to just smell some fresh air?"
"Oh, Abigail, you can go outside and smell horse sh*t!"
"John Marston! You're a bastard!"
The camp was filled with a joyful atmosphere early in the morning. Dutch leaned against the headboard, looking at Ms. O'Shea, who was exhausted from last night and still sound asleep, and listening to the noisy sounds outside. He felt a sense of fulfillment.
This feeling was like the fulfillment and warmth of being with family.
This was also why he preferred to stay in the Chapter 2 camp in the game rather than run wild with John.
The gang was their home, and the people in the gang were their family. Everyone lived a lively life, Noisy every day. This was the life most members of the Van der Linde Gang enjoyed.
Just as Dutch preferred the nomadic life of the gang over stability, Arthur and John also inherently liked this feeling, as it had become integrated with their lives, unchangeable and unadaptable.
Dutch quietly listened to the commotion outside for a while, then got up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the room.
"Good morning, Dutch!" Arthur, standing in the living room, saw Dutch come out at a glance and greeted him.
"You too, son." Dutch responded with a smile and walked towards the living room.
Pearson had already prepared breakfast, or rather, Pearson still only cooked one meal a day, dinner; for other times, if you wanted to eat, it was either cold or just reheated.
"Oh, my old friend, you're getting greedier now. I feel like the gang is already doing its best just to feed you." Dutch said with a laugh, looking at Hosea, who was sitting on the sofa eating breakfast.
"Oh, Dutch, you can't possibly not let an old man eat his fill, can you?" Hosea laughed and moved aside a bit.
Ms. Susan pushed the door open from outside and walked in, looking at Dutch sitting on the sofa and saying, "Dutch, these ladies are asking when they can start working. They're already impatient."
"Alright, I'll go explain it to them now." Dutch picked up a cigar from the table, lit it, but didn't get up.
Instead, he looked at Hosea beside him and said, "Old friend, I feel that our gang's security facilities are still not sufficient, at least in terms of firepower.
We have more people now, and we need to ensure not only our own safety but also the safety of these ladies. So, could you go out later and use your connections to find a black market and buy some weapons back?"
Hosea nodded and said, "I also feel that the camp's security measures are not sufficient. John, Sean, Charles, the three of you come with me later. I think Mr. Trelawny should have information on the black market in this area. We'll go buy some weapons."
"Can you handle it?" Arthur asked from the side, a little worried about their safety.
"Sh*t! Arthur, do you think the three of us can't?" John cursed from the side.
"Oh, Marston, Pearson's chickens are more capable than you." Arthur said sarcastically.
"Sh*t! Morgan!" John was furious, but he could only sulk, because that was his lot in life. At least, that's how it was in the gang.
"Alright, Arthur, we can bring some security personnel. After all, these gentlemen are working for us." Hosea said, smiling reassuringly.
Dutch watched them argue with a chuckle.
This kind of argument was much better than the silence of Chapter 6 in the game.
After eating, Dutch and Arthur took the blueprints of the ten clothing styles he had chosen and walked towards the female workers' living quarters.
Then he called out the seventeen female workers who had sewing machine skills from the room.
Among these female workers, a team leader named Sandy Cott was chosen yesterday. She was the oldest female worker, and Dutch saw that she had a calm temperament and worked steadily, so he chose her as the temporary team leader, giving her five dollars more income than the others.
Layered classification has always been a good management tool.
"Ms. Sandy, will a few of you take a look at these clothing styles and see if they can be made?" Dutch took out the blueprints of the clothing styles he had chosen.
These blueprints were roughly drawn by Dutch and then redrawn as a second version by Arthur.
Because Arthur's drawing skills were clearly better, even showing some artistic talent, it was obviously a better choice to have him draw them.
These ten blueprints contained seven ladies' garments and three men's garments.
It was still summer here, and although the temperature in Valentine wasn't high, Saint Denis was still hot and humid.
So the clothing styles Dutch chose were all summer styles, all modern women's clothing designs, and all chosen for their dignified construction. At least, just looking at the sample drawings, these clothing styles were novel and beautiful, and two of them even had a hint of sexiness.
As for the style, most were European and American clothing styles, or rather, modern clothing styles. Only two clothing designs adopted a classical Chinese style, one with a luxurious overall design, various flowing hems and sleeves, looking dignified yet luxurious, extravagant yet classic. (No political implications, mainly to highlight the popularity of Dutch's clothing store.)
The fabric now was not too bad, and dyeing technology in America was still acceptable, so these clothes should be able to be made.
Dutch felt that once these garments were rolled out, he was very likely to become America's fashion godfather, the top figure in the fashion industry!
After all, the Van der Linde Gang were outlaws by nature; whoever raised a problem would be dealt with, so naturally, no one would have any problems.
This was Dutch's usual way of solving problems.