North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 128 I Won't Let You Suffer! (5,000 words)
At the militia camp, on the training ground, a huge crowd of people formed a large circle!
When Azu, who was inspecting the military camp with Zuo Zongtang, saw this scene, he couldn't help but smile.

"Mr. Zuo, why don't you guess what's happening in the middle of that field?"

Having only been on the other side for a few days, Zuo Zongtang was gradually adapting to everything here.

At the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, opposite the former Cameron Estate, Azu specially arranged a luxurious estate and housed Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, Feng Zicai, Zou Boqi, and a group of talented young people in this luxurious estate.

In addition, Ah Zu thoughtfully arranged for the Cantonese chef to prepare two or three spicy dishes for each meal, in addition to the light Cantonese cuisine, to satisfy the Hunan native's appetite.

In addition to generous accommodation and food benefits, Azu also had a garment factory make several sets of Chinese-style clothes for each person, so that they could dress decently regardless of the season.

Everyday necessities were also neatly arranged, with nothing missing.

They were even provided with several armored carriages to meet their daily travel needs.

There is also a whole platoon of core militia members providing them with impeccable security.

Every month, Azu also gives them a living allowance of one hundred dollars. This is an extra benefit in addition to their job salary.

In order to cultivate a truly Chinese team of their own, Azu has been extremely meticulous.

Zuo Zongtang, who was new to the area, was naturally moved by the meticulous care he received. He also felt somewhat unworthy of such treatment, having accomplished nothing.

Upon hearing his boss's question, Zuo Zongtang stroked his black beard and said, "Judging from this scene, could it be a martial arts contest?"

"Then, Mr. Zuo, guess again, who is the one having the martial arts contest?"

"Hmm, this... could it be that Brother Shi is having a contest with someone?"

Ah Zu smiled and said, "You'll know once you go up and take a look!"

Guards stepped forward and made way for the two, allowing them to enter the training ground.

Looking up, I saw that it was indeed Shi Dakai competing with someone!
And the person he was competing against was none other than Feng Zicai!
"Go, Commander Feng! Commander Feng will win!!"

"Go, Battalion Commander Shi! Battalion Commander Shi will win!!"

There were over a thousand people watching the competition, including members from all four militia regiments.

Amidst the deafening cheers of the crowd, Feng Zicai and Shi Dakai exchanged blows with incredible speed and power!
Nineteen-year-old Shi Dakai and thirty-two-year-old Feng Zicai, one with little martial arts experience and the other at the peak of his life, fought to a standstill, neither gaining the upper hand.

Shi Dakai's youthful fists and feet were powerful and heavy, capable of splitting stone tablets and cracking rocks, and even faintly produced the sound of wind and thunder!
Feng Zicai was in his prime. Although his strength was slightly less than Shi Dakai's, his moves were more experienced, steady, and unhurried!
Shi Dakai launched the main attack, moving with the speed of a rabbit and the ferocity of a tiger!
Feng Zicai was in charge of defense, and his defense was as solid as Mount Tai, impenetrable to wind and rain!
Seeing the two competing, Zuo Zongtang also smiled and said, "In my opinion, who will win?"

After observing the fight for a moment, Azu replied, "Shi Dakai has the upper hand at the moment, but judging from his every punch and kick, he must be going all out, so it may not last long!"

"Within a quarter of an hour, Shi Dakai may still have the upper hand! Within two quarters of an hour, the two may be evenly matched! If it drags on to three quarters of an hour, Feng Zicai may be able to turn the tide and win!"

"Indeed!" Zuo Zongtang agreed, "In my opinion, Brother Shi still suffered from his youth! If he had fought Feng Zicai a few more times and understood the key points, he might not be inferior to Feng Zicai!"

Azu's heart stirred. How similar were the exchanges between Shi Dakai and Feng Zicai to the future trajectory of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty?

In the early days of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, its military might seemed unstoppable!
In the middle of the game, both sides had their wins and losses, and the score was basically even!

In the later stages, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was ultimately no match for the deep-rooted power of the Manchu Qing Dynasty!
As the two sparred, the cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder, attracting more and more militiamen.

Especially the White militia, they had never seen anything like this before!
The white militia members, who had never seen the world, were startled when they suddenly saw two Chinese people fighting in the arena. Shouts and screams rose and fell.

The voices of the white militia even drowned out the cheers of the Chinese laborers' militia!

Hearing that Feng Wudi had met his match, everyone rushed over to watch.

Since Feng Zicai arrived on the other side and joined the militia, he has been invincible in several militia groups, thus earning the nickname "Invincible Feng".

In the past, few could withstand more than three moves from Feng Zicai. Whether Chinese or white, anyone who dared to challenge him was thoroughly subdued by him!
Therefore, no one dared to disobey Feng Zicai's appointment as the commander of the Third Militia Regiment.

Now that Feng Wudi has met his match, how could the militia not be excited?

"Feng Wudi will surely win! Invincible! Invincible...!"

"Commander Shi, keep it up! Take down Feng Wudi! Take him down...!"

The militiamen's cheers and shouts grew louder and louder, their momentum like thunder, piercing the sky!
As time passed, just as Ah Zu and Zuo Zongtang had predicted, Shi Dakai's punches and kicks became slower and slower, and his strength gradually decreased.

On the other hand, Feng Zicai gradually turned the situation around.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Shi Dakai, who was almost exhausted, was completely suppressed and had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, struggling to hold on.

"Boom...!"

Shi Dakai, who was almost exhausted, was knocked off his stance by Feng Zicai's punch.

"Boom...!"

Feng Zicai followed up with a punch, which landed squarely on Shi Dakai's shoulder.

Shi Dakai stumbled and could no longer maintain his defensive stance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Feng Zicai swept Shi Dakai to the ground with a leg sweep!
"coax……!"

The more than two thousand militiamen gathered on the training ground instantly became incredibly noisy!

"They won! They won! Feng Wudi has won!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory! Feng Wudi is victorious!"

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Feng Wudi, drenched in sweat and nearly exhausted, let out a long breath, then reached out and pulled the fallen Shi Dakai to his feet.

"Brother Shi, when it comes to strength, I am no match for you!"

Shi Dakai grinned dismissively, wiped the sweat and dust from his face, and then gave a simple, honest smile: "Brother Feng, in terms of experience and seasoned skill, I'm no match for you!"

"Brother Feng, I will definitely beat you next time!" Although Shi Dakai was defeated, his heroic spirit remained unchanged.

"Haha, okay, I'll be waiting for you!"

Feng Zicai also met his match and felt that today's exchange was more enjoyable than ever before!
"Hahaha!"

Amidst laughter, the two embraced tightly, displaying a mutual respect and admiration that seemed to reflect the admiration of kindred spirits.

“Okay, okay, okay…!”

Azu clapped his hands and stepped forward, simultaneously taking the calloused hands of Shi Dakai and Feng Zicai.

"These two brilliant strategists are both rare talents in this era!"

Zuo Zongtang echoed, praising, "The two of you possess such heroic spirit and martial arts skills that are rare in this world! With just a little training, you are more than capable of commanding thousands of troops!"

Azu turned to Shi Dakai and asked, "Brother Shi, have you adapted to life on the other side these past few days?"

"I'm so used to it!" Shi Dakai grinned. "Our employer has taken such good care of us, how could we possibly feel uncomfortable?"

"Brother Shi, how much have you learned about marksmanship and Western tactics these past few days?"

"Here comes the gun!"

Shi Dakai waved his hand, and the militiamen in his camp quickly handed him an HM49 rifle.

Shi Dakai loaded the bullet with exceptional skill, aimed at the wooden target 500 yards away, and fired.

"boom……!"

The wooden target arrived in response!

"it is good……!"

Azu and Zuo Zongtang clapped at the same time, and the militiamen who were watching around them also cheered and applauded.

"Change guns!"

At Shi Dakai's command, a militiaman immediately handed him a Colt revolver.

Shi Dakai, equally skilled, quickly loaded and chambered the bullet.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang...!"

Shi Dakai barely aimed, firing six shots in quick succession. All six wooden targets a hundred yards away fell to the ground with the same bang of the gunshots!
“Okay, okay, okay…!”

The crowd erupted in cheers several times louder, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

"Wow, impressive!"

Ah Zu clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother Shi has only been practicing spear for a few days, yet he already possesses such skill! Truly a born warrior!"

Zuo Zongtang also said, "When we were on the ship, I felt that Brother Shi was exceptionally talented and born to be a great general! Now that I have met him, I can confirm it!"

Shi Dakai tucked the gun in his hand into his waistband before turning around: "Master, practicing with a gun is much simpler than practicing martial arts!"

“Even after ten years of martial arts training, it’s difficult to achieve mastery!” Shi Dakai said. “But with spear training, as long as your hand is steady and your eyesight is good, you can get the basics in three to five days. It’s not difficult, and it’s nothing special.” For martial artists like Shi Dakai and Feng Zicai, who had already achieved mastery in martial arts, steady hand and good eyesight were just the most basic requirements.

With these two points, practicing shooting is indeed exceptionally simple!
Back then, Feng Zicai was the same; he had already developed a decent marksmanship in just a few days.

However, Shi Dakai's talent should be even greater than Feng Zicai's. After a few days, his marksmanship not only became proficient but also exceptionally accurate and swift.

At that moment, Victoria also appeared on horseback on the training field.

"Hi, BOSS!"

At that moment, almost all the eyes of the two or three thousand militiamen on the training ground were focused on Victoria, who was stunningly beautiful, had a voluptuous figure, a cascade of dark gold hair, and was exceptionally agile.

“Gurgle…!”

At that moment, countless people were swallowing hard!

"Victoria, is there something you need?"

"Boss, the procurement representative from the U.S. Army Department has arrived at the company headquarters and is waiting for you."

"Have we arrived yet?" Azu turned to look at Shi Dakai and Feng Zicai and said, "Change your clothes, wash up, and come with me to meet them."

"it is good!"

A little over two quarters of an hour later, Ah Zu, along with Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, Feng Zicai, and Victoria, appeared in the headquarters office building.

Here, they met the long-awaited procurement representative from the U.S. Army.

"Are you Mr. Li from Huamei Industrial? And also the Assistant Governor of California?"

A burly lieutenant colonel with a full beard, wearing a U.S. Army uniform, extended his hand to Azu: "I am Lieutenant Colonel Severus Miles of the U.S. Army Logistics Department, and I am here to negotiate the procurement of new rifles with Huamei Industrial."

Lieutenant Colonel Miles gripped Azu's hand tighter and tighter!
"Hmm?" Azu raised an eyebrow and exerted force with his right hand as well!

After learning martial arts and physical fitness techniques from Feng Zicai for half a year, Azu's strength and endurance were far superior to those of ordinary people.

Therefore, he was not afraid at all when it came to grip strength with this bearded army lieutenant colonel!
"Creak, creak...!"

Their hands gripped each other tighter and tighter, until they turned white from clenching each other's fingers!
"Um……?"

Feng Zicai and Shi Dakai behind him noticed something was wrong and were about to step forward to protect him!

"Haha...!" Lieutenant Colonel Miles suddenly released his grip: "I've always heard that Mr. Li, the owner of Huamei Industrial, is a thin young Chinese man. I never expected that Mr. Li would possess such considerable strength."

“The lieutenant colonel will have many more opportunities to witness my power!” Azu replied calmly.

Lieutenant Colonel Miles didn't waste any words. He reached out and took a contract bearing the official seal of the U.S. Army from his adjutant behind him.

“Mr. Li, on behalf of the Ministry of the Army, I am preparing to purchase 20,000 HM50 rifles and 3 million rounds of new ammunition from Huamei Industrial.”

Miles then changed the subject: "However, I need to visit Huamei Industrial's arsenal first to confirm that you have the capability to complete this large order within six months!"

“No problem!” Azu shrugged. “The U.S. Army is the client, and their request to confirm our ability to complete the order is perfectly reasonable.”

"Where is your Huamei Industrial's arsenal?" Lieutenant Colonel Miles asked. "I don't think I've found any trace of an arsenal in the entire city of San Francisco!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, come with me!"

Azu led the group onto a paddle steamer.

"Huh, Huamei Industrial Arsenal, is it built at sea?"

“Hehe, yes!” Azu nodded and said, “To keep it a secret, we built the arsenal on an island.”

"Building an arsenal on an island is truly ingenious!"

More than half an hour later, Angel Island came into view.

Standing on the ship and looking out, one can see the vast Angel Island, surrounded by a high wall.

This perimeter is enclosed by a wall at least six or seven meters high, running along the coastline and completely surrounding the entire Angel Island.

On the wall, there are still many watchtowers that are more than ten meters high!

The sentry on the watchtower was scrutinizing every passing ship with a vigilant eye.

When the paddle steamer docked at the small pier on Angel Island, Uncle Nine, having received the news, was already waiting there with his men.

"Uncle Nine!"

"Azu!"

"This is a procurement representative from the U.S. Army Department. They want to see the production capacity of our arsenal!"

"please……!"

Led by Uncle Nine, the group passed through two checkpoints and then entered a heavy, thick steel gate.

Inside the steel gate was a huge construction site!

Factory buildings, workshops, warehouses, dormitories, and supporting facilities are springing up everywhere!

“Mr. Miles, this is the arsenal that is currently being expanded!”

Azu explained, "Within this month, all the factories, workshops, warehouses, and all supporting facilities will be fully completed."

"Once this arsenal is completed, our production capacity will reach 4,000 rifles and 300,000 rounds of ammunition per month! We are absolutely capable of fulfilling the Army Ministry's order within six months!"

Seeing the huge, bustling construction site, Miles' thick eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I only saw a large construction site, not a proper arms factory!"

Ah Zu explained, "I said, by the end of this month, everything will be completely finished, and then...!"

"No, no, no!" Lieutenant Colonel Miles shook his head. "What I want to see is a proper arsenal, not a huge construction site!"

"How can I be sure that you have the capability to complete the Army Ministry's order when faced with such a large construction site?"

Ah Zu did indeed have a qualified arms factory, but the things produced there were absolutely not to be shown to outsiders.

“Trust!” Azu said, “Lieutenant Colonel Miles, trust is the most basic and also the most precious thing! With the strength of our Huamei Industrial, there is absolutely no need for us to have unnecessary misunderstandings with the U.S. Army Department over this order.”

"After all, I'm looking for long-term business, not just this one small order right now."

"A mere order?" Lieutenant Colonel Miles frowned even more. "Twenty thousand rifles, three million rounds of ammunition, a huge order exceeding one million US dollars—is that still a trivial order in Mr. Li's eyes?"

It's only a million dollars; with Azu's current abilities, he can earn that in two or three days.

Therefore, he really didn't take this order seriously!
But why accept this order in the first place?
It's all about getting in touch with the U.S. Army and legitimizing their arsenal!

It's just a million-dollar order now, but a few years later, when the Civil War breaks out, a single order could be worth tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions!
In order to make a fortune from the war in the future, we must lay the groundwork now and establish connections with the U.S. Army Department.

So, Azu continued, "If Lieutenant Colonel Miles insists on seeing a qualified arsenal, then he might as well stay in San Francisco for a while. By the end of this month, I will definitely be able to satisfy you."

"Wait until the end of the month?" Lieutenant Colonel Miles shook his head. "That's a full twenty days. I don't think we can wait that long."

"So, Lieutenant Colonel, what do you mean...?"

Lieutenant Colonel Miles turned his head away without saying a word.

Among the officers following behind him, a young captain stepped forward.

“Mr. Li, I am Captain Garcia Nicholson of the Army Logistics Department, and I am also the military representative stationed at the Springfield Armory!”

“Springfield Armory?” Azuchi asked.

Why is a military representative from an arms factory suddenly appearing? What does it mean?
“Mr. Li, you should know that the Springfield Armory was the first state-owned arsenal established with the personal approval of President Washington!”

"Springfield Armory has studied Huamei Industrial's new HM50 rifle! They are very interested in this new rifle, and on behalf of Springfield Armory, I hope to acquire all the patents for this new rifle!"

"Acquiring patents?"

Ah Zu thought to himself, "So they were really waiting for me here."

“Yes, acquire all the patents for this new rifle!” Captain Nicholson said. “Given that Huamei Industries’ arsenal does not currently have the capacity for large-scale production of the new rifle, selling the patents to Springfield Armory is undoubtedly a more perfect solution!”

"However, we have never considered selling the patents!"

Captain Nicholson said, "Our Springfield Armory can acquire the patent for this new rifle at a very high price!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Li! We are a state-owned arsenal, and we will absolutely not let you or Huamei Industry suffer any losses!"

(End of this chapter)