Chapter 208
The Art of Social Engineering
Chapter 208 The Art of Social Engineering
1930 5 Month 1 Day.
International Workers' Day has been established to commemorate the strike by Chicago workers on May 1, 1886.
However, due to the deliberate downplaying by capitalists, this holiday, which originated in the United States, is not mainstream in the country.
At midnight, the dam construction camp on a tributary of the Arkansas River in Colorado fell asleep.
The daytime hustle and bustle has faded away, leaving only the night watchmen patrolling the dike, their flashlight beams occasionally streaking across the night sky.
Arthur Kennedy lay in the simple wooden hut next to the command post, looking out at the dark night through the window.
He was exhausted after working at high intensity for half a month, but his mind remained clear.
In a few hours, as soon as it gets light, the construction site will come alive again.
He closed his eyes and clicked the mental check-in button.
[Check-in successful! Congratulations, host, you have acquired the skill: Mass Organization.]
A strange warm current quickly spread to the cerebral cortex.
It was a vast amount of sociological theory, experience in group psychology, and the practical organizational skills of countless top labor leaders and social activists throughout history that were deeply ingrained in his instincts.
This skill greatly enhanced his persuasiveness in public speaking and his body language.
He can accurately capture the collective unconscious of a group, break down the psychological defenses of the audience with the most popular and powerful language, and transform the scattered and blind emotions into a highly unified will to act.
At the same time, this also endowed him with an extremely keen "organizational sense".
With the [Intrigue Details] skill, he can accurately identify the "natural leader" and the "hidden saboteurs" in a crowd by observing their positioning, gaze focus, and body language.
With these benefits, he mastered the ability to perfectly construct a grassroots grid-based organizational structure.
Arthur thought to himself that this was a powerful tool for organizing workers, but he would have to test its effectiveness tomorrow.
He then turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
At six o'clock in the morning, before it was fully light, the reveille had already sounded in the camp.
Five thousand workers emerged from their tents, rubbing their sleepy eyes, and headed towards the canteen. The canteen was filled with the aroma of oatmeal porridge and freshly baked dark bread.
Arthur also came out of the command post and went among the workers, eating with them and observing their every move.
But this time, the scene he saw was completely different from before.
He noticed that although hundreds of Kansas refugees were eating together, their eyes would always, intentionally or unintentionally, drift toward a burly man with a thick beard.
That was the "backbone" that naturally formed for them on their journey to escape famine.
He noticed that although the local Colorado miners were scattered, their eyes would unconsciously glance at a few older miners whenever someone mentioned "work".
He also keenly noticed some extremely discordant scenes.
In the canteen queue area on the east side of the camp, there was an old farmer wearing a tattered straw hat and a gray tattered jacket, whom the people around him called "Old Man Smith".
A few days ago, Arthur thought this man was just an ordinary laborer, nothing special.
Arthur, relying on his newfound organizational insight, immediately noticed the man's unusual behavior.
Generally speaking, when people who are truly hungry are queuing for food, their eyes will be fixed on the food bucket in front of them, their bodies leaning forward, with an instinctive longing.
Smith, however, kept his gaze shifting, observing the emotional reactions of the workers around him.
At the same time, although he was dressed in rags with several patches on his clothes, he spoke fluently and logically when he was talking to others and complaining about the food. This was definitely not the state that a bankrupt old farmer in the Midwest should be in.
Moreover, the people around him, though seemingly positioned casually, actually formed a defensive formation that could advance or retreat at any time.
Some went first, some covered the rear, and some observed from the flanks. This was the muscle memory of gangsters or professional agents; ordinary farmers would never have this kind of coordination.
This is not a lone wolf, but an organized and planned group.
Arthur understood.
He understood that the trusts that were aggressively acquiring land and recruiting cheap labor were finally getting restless.
As expected, they did send scabs and saboteurs to infiltrate the camp, intending to dismantle this poor man's utopia from within.
This kind of thing can't be prevented by defense; you have to treat offense as the best form of defense.
"Karl!" Arthur called out as he returned to the command post.
Carl was his liaison at the camp.
Soon, Karl came running over, panting.
He was covered in sweat, and his work clothes were stained with cement.
"Mr. Kennedy, you wanted to see me?"
"Karl, the camp is far too loosely managed. Five thousand people gathered together are like a wrecked ship without any watertight compartments; a single rumor could sink the whole thing. We need to change."
Carl paused for a moment, then listened intently.
"Starting today, we will break down geographical boundaries and implement grid-based management."
Arthur took a piece of paper out of his pocket and quickly drew a pyramid structure on it.
"Each group of ten people forms a mutual aid class, and a class leader is elected. The class leader is responsible for resolving internal disputes, distributing supplies, and relaying instructions."
"Each group of ten classes will be formed, with a group leader appointed. You will personally interview the group leaders; you must select those with prestige..."
A person who can command respect. The captain holds a meeting once a week and reports directly to me.
"Tell them that the class monitor is responsible for resolving internal disputes, and if anyone dares to start a fight, the entire class's ration coupons will be halved."
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Arthur's voice turned cold.
"We want to turn 5,000 people into a community of shared interests. If one person makes a mistake, the whole class will be punished. This way, they will supervise and restrain each other."
Karl's eyes lit up. This kind of management method, similar to that of the military's grassroots units, could indeed stabilize morale very quickly.
He had served in the military and knew the power of this system.
Arthur glanced at the man in the straw hat down the mountain and continued his instructions: "Also, select fifty absolutely loyal and quick-witted brothers to form the camp's discipline squad."
"In the next few days, someone will definitely jump out and incite conflict between local miners and migrant workers. Tell the brothers to keep a close eye on those who are shouting the loudest. Don't alert them; let them come out first."
"When they're ready to detonate the explosives, I'll personally close the net. Then, I'll show everyone who sent those divisive bastards."
Carl nodded and turned to leave.
Arthur's tactics were later known as "grid management," but unfortunately, there was no digital system, otherwise he would have been more than 80 years ahead of the world.
However, this method is sufficient for the current camp.
That would be enough to keep him in control when the storm was brewing.
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