Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 354 Multinational Joint Committee

It's late at night
The sound of gunfire outside became louder and louder. In the dark town, black figures carrying muskets, knives and sticks hurried back and forth from time to time. The situation was in chaos.

Hawaii was just a small town, and the gunshots coming from the palace halfway up the mountain immediately triggered even greater chaos.

In this dangerous situation
Bullets have no eyes. If you are killed instantly by a thug who is red-eyed with anger, there will be no place to seek justice.

Even Mr. Charles, who was very prestigious in the local area, did not dare to go out. He ordered his servants and white armed guards to close the door tightly, strengthen the guard with live ammunition, and not open the door to anyone who came.

Although the businessmen, led by Mr. Shebery and Juan Igosta, were extremely anxious, they stayed here and did not dare to run around, for fear of being affected by the dangerous situation.

Both sides are so bloodthirsty that anything can happen.

Soon, the white armed guard who had gone out to check the news came back in a hurry and reported a piece of bad news that made people feel disheartened.
At around nine o'clock in the evening, a group of white people came from nowhere, about forty or fifty in number, and broke into the palace fiercely.

They hacked and killed anyone they saw, broke into the palace, dispersed the guards, looted a large amount of gold and silver, and fled.

The indigenous palace guards, who were just for show, were dispersed as soon as they came into contact.

King Kamehameha V of Hawaii and his family were in great danger. The so-called royal palace was just a slightly larger three-courtyard house, which was actually not that big.

Now there are still groups of white people rushing into the palace with guns, probably hoping to take advantage of the situation. The situation outside is extremely chaotic, and there are many Americans who want to take advantage of the situation to make a fortune. Some Chinese gunmen have also taken to the streets.

After much difficulty, we managed to contact Edward M. McCook, the American Minister to Hawaii. However, this guy is now hiding in his official residence and dares not show up. He doesn't know much more than Charles does.

Looking at the chaotic Hawaiian town in the night, no one dared to step forward and get shot.

There were constant gunshots at the Chinatown Pier, and the most intense period was from 8:50 to o'clock. Then the gunshots gradually became sparse and the cannonade stopped.

It is estimated that the winner has been decided, but no one knows the specific circumstances.

Intermittent gunshots echoed in the night sky. On this ordinary night, the town of Hawaii was shrouded in blood and killing, and an atmosphere of anxiety that made people's heart palpitate was floating in the air.

It was past 11 o'clock at night
Chu State's diplomatic representative Zhuo Weiting and wealthy businessman Wang Hai, along with more than a hundred armed Chinese militiamen covered in gunpowder, arrived at Charles's residence overnight and demanded to meet with Mr. Charles to explain the current situation.

Just in case
While strengthening the security, Charles ordered that only the first five people were allowed to enter the manor, and the other Chinese gunmen who were traveling with him were waiting outside to avoid any accidents.

Charles Manor
It brought together a group of European businessmen led by Mr. Shebery and Juan Igosta, as well as dozens of white guards they brought with them. The armed force was not weak.

After meeting in the lobby
Everyone's expression was very solemn. Zhuo Weiting, the diplomatic representative of the Chu State, angrily described the fierce battle that took place in the evening.

This was exactly as everyone expected. During the day, wealthy businessman Wang Hai gathered more than 220 Chinese workers to urgently build an earthen wall. This was something everyone knew and could not be concealed.

The purpose is to prevent the American white plantation owners from becoming desperate and doing irrational things.

Unfortunately, the thing I worried about still happened.

McCain's widow and children, who were killed in the duel, and a group of white sugar plantation owners involved with the McCain family, gathered a large number of armed white people to attack the Chinatown wharf, and also brought three 12-pound field artillery pieces with them.

The Chinese were well prepared for this. After a fierce battle at night, they killed more than 670 white militants who attacked them, captured more than 70 people, and suffered hundreds of casualties themselves.

At this point, a fierce conflict began.

If you say that the US has stopped its actions, even a fool would not believe it.

More than 670 white people were shot dead, among whom at least 1/4 to 1/5 were white sugar plantation owners and the male members of their families. The blood feud was irreconcilable, and a new round of larger-scale retaliation was about to begin.

The American West at this stage can be described as "rough, barbaric and lawless", and this is especially true in the remote and remote Kingdom of Hawaii.

These white plantation owners who died in the conflict all had relatives and clansmen, and almost all American white plantation owners operating in Hawaii were involved.

These people are rude, barbaric and unreasonable, and only believe in speaking with the barrel of a gun.

Although they suffered heavy losses, the remaining white Americans are still a huge force when they unite, which is bound to trigger more intense head-on conflicts, or even a small war.

Charles was faced with a difficult problem, which made his brain crash.

He was just a sugarcane dealer. On weekdays, he negotiated the use of a dock, coordinated several transport ships, and mediated some disputes, big and small.

This has escalated to the level of a small war, which is a very serious event at the diplomatic level. With Charles' knowledge and resume, he is simply unable to handle such a complicated situation.

Look at the French businessman Mr. Schebery and Juan Igosta and others, they are all staring at each other, looking helpless.

See this scene
Zhuo Weiting, the diplomatic representative of the Chu side, took the initiative to suggest;
"This is a serious matter and cannot be resolved without the cooperation of the United States.

I suggest;
Someone was immediately sent to invite Mr. Edward M. McCook, the U.S. Minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii, for urgent consultations, and the parties reached a calm and feasible plan to resolve the conflict.

Given that the Hawaiian Kingdom suffered heavy losses from the conflict, it is possible that the royal family had been killed and was unable to play a coordinating role.

We should immediately establish a multinational conflict resolution committee, which can be led by Mr. Charles, with the participation of the United States, us, and representatives from France, Spain, Prussia and other countries, to coordinate a plan to accept the tense situation.

No matter what, we must not allow the situation to slide uncontrollably into a dangerous direction; this is the most urgent matter at this moment."

As soon as he put forward his proposal, it was immediately supported by everyone and soon became a conclusion.

Without further ado, just do it.

Mr. Charles sent 20 armed white guards, along with 20 armed Chinese guards, to invite Edward M. McCook to negotiate late at night.

More than half an hour passed

Ambassador Edward M. McCook arrived late, and the reason for his delay was simple.

He could not find a few people who could represent the interests of the white American sugar plantation owners. Those prominent Americans were either killed, captured, or could not be found at all.

How can we talk without the victim present?
The seller's losses from this late-night armed conflict were too great, so great that they were unbearable.

The two sides have a blood feud that cannot be resolved with just a smack of the tongue.

Charles said, "Stay calm, stay calm, solve the problem rationally, resolve the conflicts with each other." That's because Charles' relatives did not die in the armed conflict, but rather their father, brothers, or nephews. How could such a blood feud be resolved?

Edward M. McCook is now in a state of panic. After the duel in the early morning, McCain was killed in the duel, and his family and children angrily vowed revenge.

He was present at the time and offered some advice, but nothing more happened. Mr. McCain's three sons and two daughters, now adults, have formed complex relationships with local white plantation owners in Hawaii through marriage, and their influence is enormous.

At this moment of extreme grief and anger, he would not listen to any advice at all.

Originally, Mr. Edward M. McCook believed;
In the Hawaiian Islands, no one can offend the McCain family and leave alive, not even the governor.

Since the wealthy Chinese businessman Wang Hai killed old McCain in a duel, it is reasonable for him to endure the crazy revenge of the McCain family. It doesn't matter how many Chinese people die.

But did not expect
The McCain family was both incompetent and playful. The entire family, as well as their in-laws and friends, were all killed in the brutal conflict that night, dying cleanly and neatly.

Just like when a dam first opens, there is only a small gap, and a little water seeps into the downstream.

Now that the dam has collapsed, the water is pouring down, and it is about to cause catastrophic consequences, which is almost impossible to stop.

Edward M. McCook said solemnly, "First, let me state the solemn position of the United States. Given the seriousness of this incident, I will report it to Washington. This is no longer a problem that we can handle alone. The Chu State bears full responsibility for the consequences of this incident."

"I object. Now is not the time to assign blame. The most urgent task is to calm the situation down and prevent it from escalating and further deteriorating." Zhuo Weiting, the diplomatic representative of the Chu side, immediately objected.

Charles, the British representative, also agreed and said;

"Guys, we are sitting on the edge of a volcano, ready to burst into flames at any moment.

I'm not concerned about whose responsibility it is?

Instead, we must immediately cool down the entire incident to prevent further and more dangerous conflicts from escalating to an uncontrollable point.

We all have responsibility for this, and I will be reporting this to London.

But before that, I want to warn you solemnly

Any reckless move to escalate the situation will be seen as extremely provocative and will result in consequences.

Damn it, Mr. McCook, I'm sure you know what's going on.

I suggest that a multinational joint committee be established to take on the responsibility of stabilizing the situation in the Hawaiian Islands during this period. This will require the cooperation of both of you to stabilize the situation that is on the verge of getting out of control.

I propose that Britain, France and Spain jointly dispatch 300 armed personnel to maintain order on the entire island. Neither the United States nor Chu need to send anyone to participate.

During this special period
I demand that no one be allowed to carry weapons on the streets and that a strict weapons ban be enforced. Violations will be considered a provocation to the Multinational Committee and will be reflected in the regional situation report to London.

Now tell me, can you do it?"

Zhuo Weiting answered very clearly and decisively, "We will unconditionally implement the ban of the multinational committee and fully cooperate in maintaining local order. We will never proactively provoke the US or escalate the conflict, but we reserve the right to armed self-defense."

"Yes, this is your right." Charles nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Edward M. McCook and asked, "What about you?"

Edward M. McCook was so angry that he didn't want to speak. What did "what about you?" mean? Who could control those violent and unruly American cowboys?

In today's American West, guns are drawn too often at the slightest disagreement, and life is worthless.

That’s more than 670 white people who died in the conflict, which means more than 670 blood feuds.

Don't tell me who's right or wrong. This matter can't be suppressed now. There's no way to suppress it. Even God can't do anything about it.

After considering it for a moment, Edward M. McCook said with some reservation;

"Given the seriousness of the situation, we can only do our best. It's hard to say how much we can do. But Mr. Wang Hai must bear all the consequences. There is no doubt about that."

"It's okay, just come on. I, Wang Hai, will take on any number of Americans who come. One hundred or two hundred is not too few, and three thousand or five thousand is not too many." Wang Hai said carelessly, the murderous intent in his body condensed into substance.

Such a fierce answer made the others speechless for a moment.

It was Zhuo Weiting who interrupted the awkwardness. He looked around at everyone with a serious expression and said;

"Please rest assured, the conditions I promised on behalf of the Chu State will be implemented unconditionally.

We will strictly prohibit anyone from bringing weapons into the town, and we will also prohibit anyone from provoking further conflict.

from now on

Chinese plantations will be closed and unrelated personnel are not allowed to go out on the streets at will. They should try to avoid contact to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

But one thing must be made clear

That is, the US must not use force to attack our plantations and population centers under any pretext, and the attackers will be held responsible for any consequences arising therefrom."

After hearing Zhuo Weiting's solemn promise, Charles, Schebery, Juan Igosta and others were obviously relieved, with a rare look of relaxation on their faces, and nodded in agreement one after another.

No matter what, let's pin down one of the fighting parties first.

As for the manic United States, it will slowly figure out a solution.

On this night

The Hawaii Multinational Joint Committee was established, with Mr. Charles as chairman and Mr. Sjoberg, Mr. Juan Igosta, Zhuo Weiting, Edward M. McCook and a Dutch businessman Tatum as vice-chairmen, responsible for presiding over and stabilizing the local situation in Hawaii.

It was already past 3 a.m. when Zhuo Weiting, Wang Hai and others left Charles Manor.

Under the cover of more than a hundred Chinese gunmen, several people hurriedly moved along the safer streets, but no one dared to attack the team.

"Representative Zhuo, I guess this is the situation here. The Americans can't make any big waves. How are things over there?" Colonel Wang Haigou asked as he walked in the quiet of the night.

Zhuo Weiting knew what he was asking and answered in a low voice, "It's no big deal. Kamehameha V's nephew is greedy and lustful. We tricked him into agreeing to sell the Kingdom of Hawaii, which he inherited, to the Chu State for $20. This matter can be settled within four or five days."

"That's good. I'm just afraid that the night will be long and full of dreams."

"You should worry about yourself. Those Americans are not easy to deal with. There will be many who come to seek revenge these days. I guess you will have a headache."

"Hmph, I'm still afraid of them. I'll take as many as they come to me." Colonel Wang Haigou said in a cold voice with a murderous look on his face.

(End of this chapter)