Anderson Thanh Minh

**Anderson Thanh Minh** (December 13th, 1900 - January 5th, 1949) was a Vietnamese-Valorian mob boss and businessman who founded the Big Arrow Gang in Boston in 1918.

Thanh Minh was notorious for heavily profiting off of crime during the Roaring '20s, Prohibition, and Great Depression. He led the Big Arrow Gang through their "golden age," which lasted from 1920 to his assassination in 1949.

## Early life (pre-1917)

Few details of Thanh Minh’s early life are known, and many of them are unverifiable. It is publicly known he was born on December 13th, 1900, in Nha Trang, Annam (modern-day Vietnam), and that he was the third of five brothers, and also had two younger sisters (although no trace of his sisters exists in Boston). Details are sparse regarding Thanh Minh’s birth name: a signed letter to a friend of his admits that “Anderson” was not his birth name, and that he adopted the name while travelling to Boston. The letter even admits that his mother disapproved of Thanh Minh’s use of the name in all aspects of his life. His real name, however, is never mentioned in any documents: it is thus considered lost to history.

Historians are unsure of the exact date his family left Annam, or when they first arrived in Boston, nor how they travelled there or why they chose the city. The leading theory is that the family had settled around Los Angeles sometime during Thanh Minh’s early childhood, then, once the United States joined the First World War, fearing Thanh Minh and his brothers would be conscripted when they turned eighteen, decided to migrate to Valoria, which reaffirmed its neutrality after the US’ declaration of war. This theory has been criticized for not allowing a poorer family like Thanh Minh’s enough time to traverse the entire United States before Thanh Minh founded the Big Arrow Gang. Others thus claim he was already in Boston before the war began, although there is less evidence to support this theory.

Although theories differ regarding Thanh Minh’s arrival to Boston, it is generally agreed he participated in lower-level petty crime before founding Big Arrow. There exists two records of Thanh Minh (although he is only referred to as “Anderson”) in Boston Police Department files from 1917: one for shoplifting on March 4th, and one for pickpocketing on April 16th.

## Big Arrow Gang (1917 – 1949)

### Early Activity (1917 - 1921)

It is generally accepted Thanh Minh founded the Big Arrow Gang sometime in May 1917, working with his two younger brothers, who received the rank of “captain.”

In July 1917, Boston police had their first encounter of crime committed by the Big Arrow Gang, when a foul smell was reported coming from a hotel room in downtown Boston. When police inspected the room from which the smell was coming, they discovered the bodies of two men, both defaced and positioned in a homo-erotic stance. Although the men were unidentifiable due to the damage done to their face, personal letters later pointed towards these men being Thanh Minh's two older brothers. Historians suspect Thanh Minh discovered his two older siblings were plotting to overthrow him, or turn him in to the police.

### "Golden Era" Begins (1920)

The Big Arrow Gang's "golden era" is generally considered to have begun around February 1920, shortly after Prohibition came into effect in the United States. Using Valoria's geographic proximity to the United States, Thanh Minh and the Big Arrow Gang illegally supplied alcohol to major urban centers across the eastern US. New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. were the gang's main targets. Although based in Boston, Thanh Minh's men would supply New York through New Haven's port, which is much closer, and directly across from Long Island. This business quickly became highly profitable, and made Thanh Minh the richest outlaw in Boston.

Other criminals quickly took note of Thanh Minh's success, and attempted to emulate his business strategy. Thanh Minh became famous for his brutal punishments on those competing against him for business. One such person was Scott Bunker, who began supplying New York through the land border near Greenwich. Thanh Minh had Bunker captured, amputated half of his legs and arms, and brought him wherever he went on a leash, forcing him to walk on all four limbs as if a dog. The punishment was intended to ward off other potential competitors, which worked: most small gangs and criminals who originally planned on competing against Thanh Minh instead joined his organization, hoping to ensure they would not be the victims of such cruel and unusual punishments. Those who didn't suffered a number of brutal but well-documented punishments:

## Relationship with Michael I

Thanh Minh first met Michael Augustine while he was prime minister.

In 1943, Michael I created Thanh Minh as 3rd Duke of Boston, a title he held until his death in 1949. Neither prior, nor subsequent Dukes of Boston had no relationship to Thanh Minh (except for sharing the same noble title).

## Legacy

### Big Arrow Gang

Thanh Minh left no designated heir to his criminal empire, nor instructions on what was to become of it. His twelve children disputed its remains, which greatly reduced the gang’s influence, and eventually led to its dissolution in 1952, only a few years after Thanh Minh’s death.

### *The Letters*

A little over three years after Thanh Minh's assassination, a police raid in one of his secret underground offices uncovered what is presumed to be his main office. There, thousands of letters were discovered, offering deep insight into both Thanh Minh's personal life and business dealings. It is through these letters that historians have pieced much of what we know about Thanh Minh together.

### Disappearing Treasure

Thanh Minh’s vast fortune, valued between 900 million to 12 billion modern dollars, reportedly vanished after his death. Rumor spread that his treasure was stashed somewhere in a secret room in his underground complex. Others claim it was given to King Michael I, and hidden somewhere in Nahant. Treasure hunters have undertaken numerous expeditions to locations all over Boston province, but the treasure has never been recovered.

### Modern Perception

Thanh Minh has become somewhat of a legendary figure in Valorian culture. The mystery surrounding many aspects of a morbid childhood, the brutal details of his life and career, and his vast, disappearing fortune have been the subject of numerous books and documentaries, and even a 2022 Hollywood-produced film named *Anderson*.