America 1881: Legend of the West

Chapter 550 Don’t let the family scandal be publicized
The fighting at Roswell was lively but not violent.

The first wave of soldiers led by Big Beard on the farm were powerless to resist.

Wiltord and his second wave of soldiers fought with the militiamen in the cornfield for a while, but were quickly defeated by Niu San's grenades and sprays.

The federal soldiers who took off their pants and surrendered were quickly handed over to the state government by Chen Jianqiu as gangsters who attacked the local area.

According to Chen Jianqiu, he did not kill them purely because he and the local residents of Roswell were good, peace-loving citizens. However, these gangsters who attacked citizens' property should be prosecuted.

Not to mention how the state government would deal with these dejected remnants of defeated soldiers, Chen Jianqiu was prepared for an overreaction from the federal government.

He knew that there were many hawks dissatisfied with himself and the Chinese, whether in Congress or among the big capitalists.

Whether their starting point is jealousy of their wealth or an innate white supremacist mentality, these people cannot see themselves and the Chinese growing in power.

This friction with the federal border guards will probably give them an excuse or even some extreme targeted actions.

They may put the nature of this battle on the line, incite public opinion, and exaggerate the Chinese threat.

They will use all media resources to attack Chen Jianqiu and smear him as a careerist.

They might even find President Cleveland and ask him to issue a mobilization order to organize troops to conduct military operations against Chinese settlements in New Mexico and Oklahoma.

All of this is within Chen Jianqiu's consideration.

After all, with the Chinese power developing like this, it is unrealistic for you to expect everything to be peaceful.

Chen Jianqiu is already ready.

He knows that the United States is now a country where business spirit comes first. As long as the cost of doing something is greater than the benefit, it will not be so easy to succeed.

However, the development of things still exceeded his imagination.

There was no movement at all!

A month has passed.

No matter whether it is Washington or New York, Congress or Wall Street, there is no reaction at all!

Judging from the news coming from the Border Detective Agency, the Chinese Political Participation Alliance and the Finance and Legal Center, no news about this battle has come out from the east.

Chen Jianqiu was a little puzzled.

This is somewhat abnormal.

He decided to go to New York to find out what was going on.

A few weeks later, Chen Jianqiu's train stopped at the Brooklyn train station.

Surprisingly, after getting out of the train, he saw a familiar figure.

Theodore Roosevelt, wearing his instantly recognizable round glasses, stood on the platform waiting for him.

"Holiday told me you were arriving today." Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu walked side by side, "I haven't seen you for a long time, so I told him not to come, and I'll pick you up."

"The New York Police Chief personally came to pick me up. I'm so proud." Chen Jianqiu said with a smile.

"I am no longer the police chief of New York. I am now serving in the Navy Department." Roosevelt pointed to his casual clothes. "Look, I don't even wear a police uniform anymore."

"Hey, look at my memory." Chen Jianqiu patted his head, "I would have forgotten it even if you didn't tell me, but this is an ups and downs, right?"

Roosevelt had a helpless smile on his face:
"Maybe the citizens of New York would like a more tolerant police chief. But for me, it's not that bad. I've always been interested in the Navy."

Chen Jianqiu nodded.

He suddenly remembered something and asked Roosevelt in a low voice:

"Teddy, I just want to ask you something. Do you know about the conflict between the New Mexico militia and federal soldiers on the border two months ago?"

Upon hearing this, Roosevelt's face not only did not become serious, but his smile became even brighter, looking like he was gloating about his misfortune.

He glanced around, then tilted his head and leaned over:

"I'll tell you in detail when we get on the carriage."

The two left the station.

A carriage has stopped at the station door.

The driver waved at Chen Jianqiu.

"Master! Because Mr. Roosevelt said he would come to pick you up, my wife and the young master are waiting for you at home," the coachman said.

"How many times have I told you, John, don't call me Master, just call me 'Mr. Chen'." Chen Jianqiu walked to the carriage.

This coachman was his full-time driver in New York. He originally worked for the Astor family. After Chen Jianqiu bought the mansion, he worked for Chen Jianqiu's family.

The guy is otherwise pretty good, and his driving skills are pretty good, but he's just a little confused.

As usual, he handed Chen Jianqiu a copy of that day's New York World:

"Okay! Master."

Chen Jianqiu felt helpless, took the newspaper, and boarded the carriage with Roosevelt.

"Come and sit at my place first?" Chen Jianqiu asked as he and Roosevelt sat down face to face.

"That's what I meant," Roosevelt said with a smile.

"Have you moved your family to Washington now?" Chen Jianqiu asked.

"No, like you, my wife and children are still in New York. I come back every other month. For example, today, I just happened to come over to see you." Roosevelt replied.

He took out a cigar from his clothes, cut off the tail, and handed it to Chen Jianqiu.

"Try it, it's from Cuba. There's been a lot of chaos over there recently, and the goods routes are not clear. This is stock."

Chen Jianqiu took the cigar, lit it and held it in his mouth:
"By the way, didn't you say you wanted to tell me about the incident at the border? Do you have any inside information?"

Roosevelt lit his cigar and smiled:
"Chen, your attacks are really ruthless."

Chen Jianqiu shrugged his shoulders:

"The state militia did it. I happened to be in Lincoln County those few days. I heard that Roswell Farm was attacked by a group of bandits, so I gave them a lesson. But later I heard that it was the American federal frontier troops."

"You don't have to use heavy machine guns and grenades to teach the gangsters." Roosevelt gave Chen Jianqiu a meaningful look. "Others don't understand, but I don't understand you."

"It's all the same. Although that place is small, it is a place where everyone has put in their efforts. The citizens there have legal status, pay taxes and abide by the laws and rules there. Any provocations and attacks will There's a price to pay, unless the attacker is prepared to pay with blood."

Chen Jianqiu looked out the car window and said quietly.

New York City looks a little bleak in the fall, and the higher latitude determines that the city will enter winter early.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, rolling up the yellow leaves on the ground and bringing up a cloud of dust.

"Chen, I like your spirit." Roosevelt puffed out his cigar. "I agree that this is the spirit that Americans should have. Today's politicians and businessmen are too focused on the gains and losses of interests, and lack the spirit of opening up frontiers during the westward expansion. Takuto’s courage.”

"What? The Army is preparing to retaliate?" Chen Jianqiu looked away from the window and glanced at Roosevelt.

Roosevelt laughed.

"Revenge? Haha, do you know why Congress hasn't made any move yet? The Army Department suppressed this matter itself."

Chen Jianqiu thought he didn't hear clearly:

"Press it down? Why would they press it down?"

After all, the dead was a U.S. Army colonel, not some low-level officer; the owners of the hundreds of corpses were also genuine U.S. Federal Army soldiers.

"Because the War Department felt so ashamed!" Roosevelt laughed so hard that he fell backwards.

On the night of the quarrel between Burke and Wiltord, he knew that the latter would get into trouble, so he left with most of the cavalry in advance.

They headed east along the railway line and first arrived at a small town, where they rested.

He took a train to Austin, the capital of Texas, where he reported everything to the military district's top brass, and through them, the news was passed to the Army Department.

Burke put all the blame on Wiltord.

Cross-border marches and inability to control his subordinates led to mutiny among his soldiers, and later to looting by the entire army.

Of course, he also gave a clear account of the militia's attacks in the desert.

According to his inference, although the enemy was dressed like Mexican troops, judging from their combat skills and firepower, they were definitely not just some ragtag border army.

If the Mexican army had that ability, they would have reached Austin long ago.

In short, it was just a fight between Wiltord and Chen Jianqiu, and it had nothing to do with him.

Upon receiving the news, Deputy Secretary of the Army Thornton realized the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly sent someone to contact New Mexico to inquire.

A week later, the news came back.

A group of men dressed in Army uniforms were brought to court in Santa Fe, charged with posing as Army soldiers and attacking a town.

The worst thing is that some of these people actually pleaded guilty!
When Thornton received the telegram, his face turned dark.

His first reaction was to suppress the matter and not let the outside world know the news.

But there is no airtight wall in the world.

Soon, the Navy Department next door also learned about this matter, and it was at this time that Roosevelt learned the whole story.

The two sides have never gotten along.

The War Department soon became a laughing stock.

The regular army went to attack a border town, not only was they completely wiped out by the local militia, they were also brought to court and tried as criminals.

This is an unprecedented humiliation for the American military since the founding of the country.

Although people from the Army Department repeatedly explained that the militia in Roswell were not ordinary militia, but the elite border troops of the New Mexico National Guard.

But no one except the War Department believed it.

They believed that this was just a unilateral excuse from the Army and that it could not cover up the chaos in the Army's management and low combat effectiveness.

But they tacitly kept the secret.

Because family disgrace should not be made public.

If the dead hero in Mexico knew that the army of its northern neighbor was so weak now, he would probably climb out of his coffin and point his sword at Washington.

As for how to deal with Chen Jianqiu and the Roswell militia, two opinions emerged within the Army Department.

One view is that the Chinese, who have such powerful military forces on the border, are a threat and must be eliminated or disarmed as soon as possible.

Another view is that the Chinese militia is also the American militia and is part of the American national armed forces. As long as they do not rebel or seek independence, there is no need to provoke them.

The two sides held a confrontational discussion in the domed conference room of the Army Department.

But the latter's words left the former speechless:

The National Guard is a force responsible for state defense. They didn't rebel, so you sent an army to disarm them. What's the point? Is it the federal army invading the mainland? Is it a civil war? Where's your face?

This is something that only politicians can do.

But this matter cannot be spread out, otherwise the army will face the criticism from those congressmen.

Thornton found the thought exciting.

So the final result was nothing.

Roosevelt laughed as he spoke, and almost choked on his own cigarette.

"If they really fight the Spaniards, they will probably be driven directly into the sea," said Roosevelt.

"Spaniard?" Chen Jianqiu raised his eyebrows.

He keenly grasped the key words.

"Are you sure you want to fight the Spaniards?"

Roosevelt did not rush to answer this question, but nodded at the newspaper in his hand.

Chen Jianqiu picked up the newspaper in his hand.

In order to save costs, Pulitzer used a yellow, low-quality paper for the New York World.

This is also the origin of the newspaper being called a "yellow tabloid".

Chen Jianqiu opened the newspaper.

The news content above quickly attracted his attention.

"'Butcher' Viller Nicolaeu is carrying out an inhumane massacre in Cuba. Can we really just sit back and watch?"

"The plantation was captured and our assets are burning! Our interests are being infringed!"

"People of justice! Stand up straight! This is on our doorstep! Say no to the Spaniards!"

The content of the newspaper mainly described how the Cuban rebels were brutally suppressed by the Spanish Governor-General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau.

And how have American interests been harmed?

The article used highly inflammatory language to express the author's point of view, which was that the United States should intervene in the Cuban uprising.

"The uprising in Cuba has been going on for more than a year, right?" Chen Jianqiu closed the newspaper and looked up.

"Well, the rebels are fighting a bloody battle with the Spanish. The new governor is very ruthless and the two sides are in a stalemate." Roosevelt said, "But the rebels are exhausted. If we don't give them any more help, they may not be able to hold on."

"What does the government mean?" Chen Jianqiu continued to ask.

"Cleveland wants to mediate, but as we all know, the Spanish are not fools, and the possibility of successful mediation is slim." Roosevelt shook his head, his face full of sarcasm, "Too naive."

"As for the parties themselves, there are also differences. Many people are afraid that the war will affect economic stability. After all, the impact of the financial crisis is still there, and many people are worried."

"But they forget that if we ignore America's overseas interests, this kind of stability is simply a false proposition!" Roosevelt became more and more angry. "These people have lost the glory and enterprising spirit when they went west. This is right at our doorstep!"

"Without this courage and vision, America will never become a first-class power!"

"So, you are a war advocate?" Chen Jianqiu thought.

"What about you?" Roosevelt asked. "What do you think?"

"I am a businessman." Chen Jianqiu's answer was the same as always.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Roosevelt's eyes, but Chen Jianqiu's next words made the disappointment disappear instantly.

"But I'm an arms dealer." Chen Jianqiu added, "I like war."

"I'm also a banker. I like to lend money to others, such as the federal government. Wars need money, so I like wars."

In the carriage, Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu smiled knowingly at each other.

They all had other plans that they didn't tell each other but they all understood it tacitly.

Roosevelt wanted to gain higher prestige and more voice in the Republican Party; while Chen Jianqiu had his eyes on Cuba.

However, it is estimated that going to war will not happen during the term of the current President Cleveland.

Chen Jianqiu glanced at the date on the newspaper. This year was 1896, the year of the new general election.

A new US president and government will be born, and the betting will begin again.

And this time, he will also be one of the players.

(End of this chapter)