America 1919
Autor: One Yellow Mountain Red© WebNovel
Capítulo 1: 1. A prohibition order? I insist on drinking alcohol.
"Heroes are just tools in the face of power!" --Donnie Block!
.
In the late autumn of 1919, inside the dimly lit Korla Bar in Atlantic City, the chaotic bar was packed with people. Prohibition was about to start, and everyone believed that from then on, there would be no more alcohol in the United States, which led everyone to indulge in one last spree.
Tall and rugged, Donnie stood behind the bar, wiping a glass with a complex expression on his face.
"I'm curious, what exactly are you wiping there?"
Sitting on the outside of the bar, round and ball-like Herman Olman held his glass and ridiculed Donnie inside the bar.
"Regardless of what you're wiping, today is the day for payment! Didn't George Kurle tell you this?"
It was only then that Donnie realized he actually wasn't holding anything in his hand at all. As for the glass he was previously wiping, it had long since fallen to the ground.
Bending down to pick up the glass, Donnie said, "Kurle did tell me that his bar doesn't have to pay!"
Olman let out an easy smile, "Of course, that was because at that time Kurle was the owner of the bar, and we naturally didn't have the guts to take his money. But now things are different. The owner of Korla Bar now is you, Donnie Block. Do you also have a brigadier general for a father?"
Donnie spread his hands and said helplessly, "Clearly, my father is just a winemaker in Elwood Village!"
"My God!" The teasing expression on Olman's face became even more apparent, "The whole world knows that in two months Prohibition is going to start, and there won't be any alcohol in the US. You took over Korle's bar at such a time, and your father is a winemaker. Perhaps, in two months, I might see you in the North District of Atlantic City!"
The North District of Atlantic City also had another fitting name, the slums of Atlantic City. 90% of the people living there were Black!
Seeing that Donnie didn't speak, Olman continued, "I'm really curious, what were you thinking at the time to agree to take over George Kurle's bar!"
A fierce look flashed in Donnie's eyes. What else could it have been for?
Of course, it was because his predecessor was a fool, a Donnie Block who had been brainwashed by American conscription ads to participate in World War I.
After training, Donnie Block joined George Kurle's squad. On the battlefields of France, George Kurle's poor command nearly wiped out the entire squad, and it was only thanks to Donnie Block's brave actions that they averted disaster.
Such an act could have earned Donnie Block a Commendation Star... known later as the Silver Star Medal, and a promotion in the army.
Instead, George Kurle found Donnie Block and, using the Korla Bar in their hometown of Atlantic City as a bargaining chip, bribed Donnie Block to take all the credit for himself.
The foolish Donnie Block at the time had no idea that Prohibition was about to be enforced.
After World War I was over and Donnie Block had been discharged, he returned to Atlantic City to take over the Korla Bar, only to learn that in two months, Prohibition would start.
That meant that in two months, the production, transportation, and sale of distilled beverages would be forbidden within the borders of the United States!
Upon hearing this news, Donnie Block felt like he had been struck by lightning, and after getting staggeringly drunk by himself in the Korla Bar, he woke up to find that the body was now his!
"Maybe it was a German shell that scrambled my brain at the time!"
Donnie didn't want to answer Olman's question, especially now that George Kurle had also returned to Atlantic City and had become the Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety... equivalent to a Deputy Director of a Public Security Bureau in later years!
Olman nodded indifferently, then stretched out his hand, laughing, "Alright, I've heard your story, can you now hand over the protection money for this month?"
After finishing, Olman took a revolver from his waistband and placed it on the table, his threat was clear as day!
Donnie watched Olman's actions, confident that he could grab the revolver before Olman and deal with him.
But that wouldn't truly solve the problem he was facing, after all, the current Olman was just a small fry and had not yet grown into one of Atlantic City's most influential figures of later years, meaning that there was a vast power behind Olman that the current Donnie could not contend with!
From the bar's drawer, Donnie took out 10 US Dollars in cash and handed it to Olman, "I thought we were friends!"
Olman smugly took the US Dollars, whistled, and laughed, "Please, we've only known each other for two days. Besides, even friends have to pay what they owe!"
Donnie certainly didn't think that he and Olman were really friends, but the current Donnie did indeed need to learn some things from Olman.
"Olman, if I temporarily close for two months, what about the fees for these two months?"
By this time, Olman had already put the 10 US Dollars into his coat pocket. When he heard Donnie's question, he widened his eyes in disbelief.
"What are you talking about? There are only two months left until Prohibition starts, and you're thinking of suspending business for two months?"
Capítulo 2: 1. Prohibition? I want to enter wine_2
It was precisely because Prohibition was looming that Donnie had this idea.
As it is widely known, in the history of the United States, the Prohibition law was an absurd and ineffective edict!
However, what many people do not realize is that the successful enactment of this law was the result of over a hundred years of struggle in the United States. As a country of immigrants, people from various nations brought their drinking cultures with them, as well as their religious beliefs, upon arriving in the United States.
Among the strict codes of the Puritans, abstinence from alcohol was a very important aspect!
In addition, women had absolutely no social status during this period, and after men drank, it was inevitable that they would vent their surplus energy on their women with their fists.
Under such circumstances, organizations such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Anti-Saloon League and other various prohibition groups were established in America, advocating for a ban on alcohol.
This movement was quite effective; before the American Civil War, prohibition laws had been enacted in several states across America and achieved remarkable success.
The outbreak of the Civil War put the prohibition movement on hold. After the war ended, the prohibition laws were brought up again, and by the time of World War I, the National Government finally passed the application for Prohibition, and this time it was not postponed by the outbreak of the war.
Instead, it was brought to Congress for a vote!
At that time, Americans really believed that their Prohibition law could be successfully enforced. Initially, they indeed achieved good results, with the nationwide destruction of various whiskies, rums, and the number of distilleries across the country plummeting from over 2000 at their peak to fewer than 30!
But, from a historical perspective, alcohol represents human desire, and desire cannot be blocked. In fact, desire becomes even more fervent because of the blockade!
So less than a year after the Prohibition law was enacted, the entire United States became a haven for bootleggers, creating countless millionaires and multi-millionaires.
Today, all Americans support the Prohibition law because they are still able to drink alcohol, which is why everyone supports the advent of the Prohibition law. This also led to the current situation where American liquor merchants, in order to dispose of their rum and whiskey before the formal proclamation of Prohibition, kept dropping the prices of these spirits.
But once Prohibition was in place, liquor prices across America immediately doubled, and once the domestic stock of alcohol was almost consumed, the prices would continue to soar.
Although Donnie has now taken over Korla Bar, there is hardly any stock of liquor in the bar. If that's the case, it might be better to close for two months and wait for Prohibition to start in two months. By then, the value of the liquor stock in the bar would naturally double!
Not only that, Donnie also wanted to take this opportunity to try to stock up on more liquor during this time.
Donnie continued with a wry smile, "Just like you said before, I really don't want to end up living in North District two months from now, so I want to take these two months to consider my fallback plan!"
Olman looked at Donnie somewhat suspiciously. If Donnie was really doing as he said, wouldn't the most correct course of action be to quickly sell off all the existing stock of liquor in the bar?
Although curious, Olman did not voice his question. As he had said, he had only known Donnie for two days, and they were not friends. Whatever Donnie wanted to do, what business was it of his?
"It's your business whether you operate or not. As for the money, you can pay less, but you can't skip payment. That's the rule set by Nucky, and there is nothing I can do about it!"
Donnie nodded. He had some understanding of this outcome and said, "Alright, then please mention it to Nucky for me!"
Olman nodded indifferently. After all, this was within his duties, so he had no reason to decline.
Seeing that Olman agreed, Donnie continued, "There's another matter for which I need your help!"
Olman looked at Donnie with some displeasure, "I need to know what it is?"
Donnie was unfazed by Olman's attitude and simply smiled, "Prohibition is about to start, and surely there are many liquor distributors trying to get rid of their stock. I have no connections in Atlantic City, so I want to ask for your help to get in touch with some distributors. I plan to buy some cheap whiskey and rum from them!"
Olman's displeasure vanished, replaced by a look as if he were observing someone with a mental illness.
Currently, breweries, bars, and liquor distributors across the country had only one task at hand: to sell off their inventories as quickly as possible to avoid having their liquor dumped like garbage once Prohibition started. And yet, Donnie was looking to acquire even more stock?
Still, Olman was no fool. Remembering what Donnie had just mentioned about wanting the Korla Bar to close down for two months, he looked at Donnie with a puzzled gaze.
"You haven't come across some information, have you?"
Donnie continued with a bitter smile, "If I had access to that kind of information, do you really think George Kurle would have given me the bar?"
Olman placed his arms on the bar, shaking his head, "No, he wouldn't!"
Donnie nodded, "Exactly. My idea is to hold off until a few days before Prohibition starts and then release all the liquor at once. At that time, surely everyone will be stocking up, and maybe I could get a good price for it!"
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