North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 140 An Invitation from the Vatican

The California election is in two months!
Previous California governments and legislatures were temporary and not publicly elected, making them very weak in terms of authority and governing foundation.

Therefore, California's first formal election was scheduled for the third Sunday of December 1850.

The importance of this election to Azu and the entire Huamei Industrial Group is self-evident.

After the Foreign Workers Equal Rights Act was passed, most Chinese people gained the right to vote and be elected.

However, California is still predominantly white!

According to preliminary statistics, there are a total of 126,000 eligible adult citizens in California.

Of these, only 28,000 are Chinese citizens eligible to vote.

Of the more than 28,000 Chinese, more than 22,000 were workers, farmers, and militiamen employed by Huamei Industrial.

Whether or not they were employed by Azu, these 28,000 Chinese people had received enormous favors from Azu and Huamei Industrial, making them an unshakeable voter base.

But the remaining 98,000 voters are predominantly white, which complicates the situation.

This group included thousands of white people employed by China Million Industries, as well as some white people in San Francisco who had a high regard for China Million Industries and Azu.

The remaining tens of thousands of white voters were either supporters of the Whig Party and the Democratic Party, or neutral voters who had not yet taken a stance.

To win California's first general election, it is crucial to win over these undecided centrists.
-
The sacred and lengthy ordination ceremony reached its climax when a representative appointed by Cardinal John Hughes personally placed the purple crown representing the archbishop on Evan Connor's head!

"Dong dong dong...!"

The church bells rang out loud!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The church's sacred and magnificent giant pipe organ played awe-inspiring and grand religious music.

"Ahhh... Ah!"

The church choir, with solemn expressions, sang hymns amidst the symphony of bells and organ music!

……

In any case, this set of solemn and sacred rituals alone surpasses all other religions in the world.

Archbishop Evan Connor, wearing the purple crown, turned around on the altar amidst the attention of the crowd, holding the Bible in one hand and waving to everyone below the stage with the other.

Archbishop Evan's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Azu's face.

The moment their eyes met, Archbishop Evan's face broke into the warmest smile!
He knew all too well that without the full support of this young Chinese man, he most likely wouldn't be where he was today!
After the pastoral ceremony concluded, almost all the prominent figures from across California gathered in the Rosewood Hotel's ballroom that evening.

At this point in time, just one year after the establishment of the provisional government and provisional legislature in California, the towns and cities of California still relied more on self-governance.

In other words, most of the power in the towns and cities was actually in the hands of these prominent figures.

Given that Azu doesn't yet have the ability to completely control the entire state of California, winning over these prominent figures becomes extremely important.

In the vast banquet hall, hundreds of prominent Californians and their families enjoyed a variety of top-quality wines and delicacies, and also took advantage of this rare social opportunity to chat happily and enthusiastically in small groups.

When Azu and Evan Connor, who had just been promoted to Archbishop of California, appeared side by side at the golden entrance, the banquet hall erupted in extremely enthusiastic applause and cheers.

The crowd automatically formed a passageway from the golden gate to the altar on the other side.

Amid applause and cheers, Azu and Archbishop Evan smiled and waved to the distinguished guests around them.

When the two stepped onto the platform, Archbishop Evan addressed all the distinguished guests gathered around it.

"Welcome again to all the distinguished guests who have gathered from all over California for my pastoral ordination!"

"Being appointed Archbishop of California is a testament to the trust placed in me by the Church and His Holiness the Pope!"

"At the same time, it is also thanks to the support and trust of the distinguished guests present here!"

"In my position as archbishop, I hope to work with all the distinguished guests present to build California into a prosperous, stable, and equal paradise on earth!"

As he spoke, Archbishop Evan smiled and gestured for Azu to stand beside him.

Archbishop Evan warmly took Azu's hand and smiled at everyone in the audience, saying, "In my view, Assistant Governor Li Zu-nian, to a large extent, represents the prosperity, stability and equality of the entire state of California!"

At this point, Archbishop Evan's voice became exceptionally resolute: "Here, on behalf of myself and the entire Church of California, I firmly support Mr. Li Zunian to become the first Governor of California!"

"He will surely lead the entire state of California to build this blessed land into a truly prosperous, stable, and equal paradise on earth!"

When Archbishop Evan uttered these words, all the prominent figures present fell silent!
They traveled from all over to attend the archbishop's ordination, which was one thing, but their desire to befriend this young California tycoon and powerful figure was another.

But it's another matter entirely if these white people were to support such a young Chinese man as the first governor of California.

In their hearts, they absolutely did not want to see the seat of California's first governor ultimately taken by a young Chinese man.

So they all fell silent!
"Bah bang bang...!"

Only Edgar Allan Poe, Jason Statham, Martinez Statham, Vivian, Daisy, Victoria, Monica, as well as Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, Wu Qingfeng, and other members of the Huamei faction present, did not hesitate to burst into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

But the applause and cheers from these few people seemed so sparse in the huge banquet hall!

Ah Zu, who had anticipated this scene, maintained his smiling expression.

Taking two steps forward calmly, Azu addressed all the distinguished guests in the audience, saying, "I hereby formally announce that, with the support of Archbishop Evan and Huamei Industrial, I have decided to personally participate in the election for the first Governor of California."

"Slap slap slap... Waaaaah...!"

It was still only the Chinese and American faction, along with Archbishop Evan's applause and cheers.

Azu continued, "I know that most of the distinguished guests here don't really know me, let alone support me."

"It doesn't matter if you don't know me!"

"Clap clap...!" As he spoke, Azu clapped his hands lightly.

As he applauded, a huge, deep red velvet curtain slowly opened behind him.

The curtain was slowly drawn back, and what gradually appeared before everyone's eyes were boxes piled high with medicine!

"This is……!"

These open medicine boxes contained countless small, transparent glass bottles, neatly arranged.

With so many distinguished guests present, it's natural that some of them would recognize its value.

"This is... penicillin...!"

Many people couldn't contain their excitement and exclaimed almost simultaneously.

“Yes!” Azu smiled and said, “This is penicillin!”

Azu didn't waste any more words: "Distinguished guests who are willing to support my campaign for the first governorship will receive the penicillin distribution rights for their respective towns!"

"Furthermore, starting today, Huamei Industrial will reduce the ex-factory and distribution price of penicillin to thirty US dollars per vial!"

"The distribution rights for each town will only be granted to two VIP guests, first come, first served...!"

"coax……!"

The guests present instantly erupted in an uproar!

Currently, almost all penicillin on the market is supplied through Archbishop Evan.

Even with Archbishop Evan's help, penicillin was extremely scarce. And of course, it would be prioritized for supplying church hospitals in dioceses around the world.

Therefore, even if Archbishop Evan still has a small amount of supplies left, it is pitifully little.

Even if the bishops of various dioceses came to Archbishop Evan in person to ask for penicillin, they would not only leave empty-handed, but would also mostly get very little.

Not to mention people outside the church!
While the price of penicillin in California has decreased somewhat, it still costs at least $140-150 per vial. In the far east, and even further afield around the world, the price of this life-saving drug is unbelievably high.

In everyone's eyes, penicillin is many times more precious than gold!
Everyone was eager to get penicillin and couldn't get it.

Prior to this, apart from Archbishop Evan, Huamei Industrial had never shipped goods on a large scale, nor had it ever had any distributors.

Today, this young Chinese man has finally released the distribution rights for penicillin!

And the price is unbelievably low!

Thirty dollars a piece?
Does that mean you can earn hundreds of dollars just by selling one?

Moreover, as long as you have penicillin, a scarce resource, you won't have to worry about selling it!

At that moment, all the prominent figures present went completely mad!

"Clap clap clap...!" San Jose Mayor Graeme Anthony clapped enthusiastically and shouted, "I, Mayor Graeme Anthony of San Jose, on behalf of the city of San Jose, support Mr. Lee in becoming the first governor of California!"

"I, Seven Harden, Mayor of Sacramento, on behalf of the City of Sacramento, support Mr. Lee in becoming the first Governor of California…!"

"I, the Mayor of Monterey... on behalf of Monterey, support Mr. Lee in becoming the first Governor of California!"

"I... on behalf of the National Bank of California, support Mr. Lee for the position of the first Governor of California...!"

"On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, I support Mr. Lee in becoming the first Governor of California!!"

……

The crowd surged forward, rushing to the front of the platform and eagerly extending their hands to Azu.

Ah Zu stretched out his hands, smiled, and pressed them down, signaling everyone to calm down a bit.

Faced with immense wealth, who could remain calm?

The huge banquet hall was like a boiling pot, filled with enthusiastic, almost frenzied, gazes and expressions.

It wasn't until much later that things finally quieted down.

Azu then continued, "Distinguished guests who are willing to support my gubernatorial campaign can now register with my assistants and sign a contract."

"However, let me make this clear from the outset: if I don't get a majority of votes in any town, I will immediately revoke the local distributor's distribution rights!"

"Of course, of course...that makes perfect sense!"

The distinguished guests in the audience nodded vigorously.

Azu continued, "Each town will only have two penicillin distribution slots. Currently, our Huamei Industrial Co., Ltd. has a daily supply of 10,000 vials of penicillin. In addition to continuing to prioritize the supply to the church, the remaining production capacity will be allocated to each distributor as needed."

"If we unfortunately don't get the distribution rights for penicillin, it's okay. Huamei Industrial has many other very profitable products."

"Whether it's the new HM50 rifle, or advanced steam engines, water pumps, mining machines, stone crushers... or jeans, prefabricated houses, or even new iron-hulled steamships, as long as you sign a contract supporting me to become the first governor, you can get the distribution rights!"

The distinguished guests present erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers once again.

At this moment, dozens of employees from Huamei Industrial appeared on the stage, carrying stacks of ready-made contracts.

On-site signing, and the distribution rights for penicillin and other products were obtained on the spot.

Dozens of the most powerful and influential people in California received the distribution rights for penicillin on the spot, which meant they got the biggest slice of the pie.

As a result, they were firmly bound to the chariot of Azu and Huamei Industry, forming a community of shared interests.

The remaining dignitaries also gained something, signing various distribution rights for Huamei Company products.

In this era of scarcity and soaring prices, anyone who can obtain the distribution rights for Huamei Company's products is guaranteed to make money.

These powerful figures from all over California possess significant influence and connections in their respective territories, and each has a considerable number of supporters.

Winning over these powerful figures in various regions is equivalent to winning a huge number of votes.

After this series of actions, Azu laid an unshakeable foundation for his victory.

With the support and manipulation of the California church under Archbishop Evan's control, and the Standard which accounts for half of the circulation of all newspapers in California, it's simply impossible to lose!
The reason why Azu kept lowering the ex-factory price of penicillin was that after penicillin production reached 10,000 vials per day, he was ready to ship it out on a large scale.

Once large-scale shipments begin and penicillin becomes less scarce, its market price will naturally decrease.

Secondly, some profits need to be offered to these distributors so that they can experience the benefits and gain their genuine support.

Third, Azu had promised Lincoln that he would bring down the price of penicillin. He also took this opportunity to send a message to his important ally in Washington.

After dealing with these powerful figures in California, Azu finally had time to sit down and have a proper talk with Archbishop Evan and others.

"Ding……!"

Archbishop Evan, Vivian, Peter Parker, Edgar Allan Poe, Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, and Wu Qingfeng, who were present, raised their glasses high and clinked them together with Azu's glass.

"Your Excellency, you still owe me three million five hundred thousand dollars!"

As soon as Ah Zu sat down, he asked with a smile, "When do you plan to pay it back?"

"Pfft...!" Archbishop Evan, who had just taken a sip of wine, almost spat it out.

"Do you really have to bring up such a spoilsport at such a celebratory moment?"

Archbishop Evan glared at Azu and said, "Are you still short of money? Why are you chasing after me for money?"

"Haha...!" Azu laughed, "Uncle Evan, your church really does owe me three and a half million dollars!"

"I need to supply your church with more penicillin in the future. How can I continue to supply it if the previous debts are not paid off?"

"Hmm, you money-grubbing bastard!" Archbishop Evan laughed and scolded, "Do you think our dignified Roman Catholic Church would be short of your little bit of money? Don't worry, the payment for the last batch of 100,000 doses of penicillin is on its way and will be returned to you in a few days."

“However…!” Archbishop Evan said with a smile, “You’ve already lowered the price you offer to those distributors to thirty dollars a piece. How much will you lower it to for our church?”

Azu thought for a moment and said, "How about a 20% discount? 20% off a $30 bottle! That's $24 a bottle, isn't that a great deal?"

“Twenty-four dollars apiece…!” Archbishop Evan mused. “Although it is still very expensive, it is now affordable for some ordinary people.”

Archbishop Evan continued, "The last batch of 100,000 doses of penicillin, distributed among more than 2,000 dioceses worldwide, was negligible. The Vatican has given me direct instructions to obtain as much penicillin as possible."

"One hundred thousand doses of penicillin saved countless precious lives, boosted the reputation of our church, and attracted a large number of new believers."

Ah Zu chuckled and replied, "Hehe, it must have brought a lot of wealth to the church too, right?"

“Uh…!” Archbishop Evan shook his head slightly and replied, “Perhaps not as much as you imagine. Our church hospital only uses penicillin at high prices for the wealthy.”

“For ordinary people and the poor, church hospitals don’t earn much, and there are even many cases where penicillin is used for free.”

Ah Zu said, "Huh? Does your church hospital also discriminate based on the person they treat?"

Archbishop Even raised his glass and smiled, changing the subject: "As instructed by the Holy See, I will personally travel to the Vatican to report on my duties sometime next year after this year ends."

"Furthermore, following the informal invitation from the Vatican, we hope to invite you, the creator of penicillin, to accompany me to the Vatican...!"

"Huh...?" Azu exclaimed in surprise, "Inviting me to the Vatican? Whose idea is this?"

Archbishop Evan held up his finger and pointed upwards.

"Your Holiness the Pope...?" Azu was even more surprised: "My little contribution has actually alarmed His Holiness?"

"Hehe, your contribution is no small matter!" Archbishop Evan said with a smile, "The penicillin you created is destined to save the lives of hundreds of millions of people and bring great benefits to the whole world!"

"For such a tremendous contribution that benefits all mankind, Your Majesty would absolutely be worthy of bestowing upon you the noble title of Papal Guardian Knight or personally holding a blessing ceremony for you."

(End of this chapter)