Henry had already learned about the recent events in Rubbish Town.
He was also an agent; the meeting should have provided a place for him. Being busy outside, one of his subordinates had to attend in his stead.
His subordinate had informed him of the situation and was one of those who had kept quiet at the time.
Martial law was of course a good thing, preventing the situation from further deterioration, preventing those agents and traders from fleeing with supplies and a large number of adventurers.
If it lasted too long, it would surely become uncontrollable. Rubbish Town, lacking a centralized power structure, didn't support the continuation of such strict policies for long.
But despite that, he still felt it was somewhat miraculous.
When he re-established communication with Swan, he couldn't wait to ask, "Was the martial law order really passed so easily?"