North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 142 The Genius Project!

Outsiders who wish to join Freemasonry need the recommendation and testimony of at least two Freemasons.

Brigadier General George Phillips and Captain Nicholson happened to be important members of the Freemasons.

With the recommendation and witness of these two men, a week later, Colonel Wharton, whose injuries had slightly improved, completed the bizarre ritual of joining the Freemasons.

The first activity is blindfolding and role-playing.

Colonel Walton must be blindfolded, his left side exposed, and bound with rope, symbolizing a "lost soul." During the ceremony, he must portray Hiram Abif, the legendary stonemason patriarch of Freemasonry, experiencing being murdered and resurrected by a traitor.

Then comes the symbolic test.

In a dark setting, three members playing traitors (symbolizing "violence, ignorance, and blindness") tap or threaten Colonel Walton, mimicking the scene of Hiram's martyrdom, ultimately symbolizing spiritual awakening through a resurrection ritual.

Finally, identity tokens are awarded.

After the ceremony, Colonel Wharton was presented with a white sheepskin apron, symbolizing the stonemasonry tradition and moral purity. The apron became a symbol of Freemasonry's lifelong identity.

The ceremony blended Christian elements with Enlightenment ideas, with Brigadier General George Phillips repeatedly emphasizing his belief in the "Great Architect of the Universe."
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"Congratulations, Colonel Wharton. From this day forward, you are one of us!"

After the ceremony, Brigadier General George Phillips gave Walton a warm, solid hug.

Walton then expressed his excitement: "General, as the son of a fisherman, it is the greatest honor of my life to join the Freemasons!"

"Slap slap...!"

Brigadier General George Phillips patted Colonel Walton heavily on the shoulder: "Colonel, as long as you serve the organization well, we will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"Although you are only a junior apprentice now, it won't be long before you are promoted to an important member of the organization."

"Moreover, as long as you make the necessary contributions, you will definitely be able to become a general just like me!"

Faced with Brigadier General George's promises, Colonel Walton was equally moved to tears: "General, I am willing to give my life for the organization!"

"Hahaha...!" Brigadier General George laughed heartily: "You bastard, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Walton did not press them about their plans.

At times like these, the more anxious you are, the more suspicious you become.

Brigadier General George Phillips' smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "Walton, in the entire headquarters, you are the only one I can trust!"

Wharton thought to himself, "What was bound to happen has finally happened!"
Brigadier General George Phillips continued, "Walton, I need you to go to San Diego...!"

“San Diego?” Walton asked suspiciously.

San Diego is located in the southernmost part of California, only about ten miles from Mexico.

The headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet is located here!
“Yes, San Diego!” Brigadier General George Phillips said. “As the Chief of Staff of the Army Southwest Command, you need to have a good talk with Brigadier General Paparo King.”

"General, what is it we're talking about?" Walton continued to ask.

Brigadier General George stared at Walton and said, "I hope you can convince those guys in the Navy to send warships to temporarily blockade the California coast and bombard Huamei's arsenal or even Huamei's headquarters...!"

"What......?"

Shocked, Walton felt a dull ache again from the wounds that had just scabbed over all over his body.

"General, is this...is this feasible?" Colonel Walton asked in surprise.

Brigadier General George Phillips replied, "On land, at least in California, we have absolutely no way to deal with that damn Chinaman!"

"Now, we can only pin our hopes on those guys in the navy!"

"That Chinese guy only has one armed merchant fleet at sea. Those few old cannons on the armed merchant ships are absolutely no match for warships."

Brigadier General George's tone turned exceptionally cold: "As long as the navy can be mobilized, even if we can't completely eradicate them, we can certainly severely cripple that damned Chinese man's strength!"

"Hmph, doesn't he want to run for California's first governor?"

“Once the Navy blocks the coast, or even shells it, our friends in the California legislature will use the instability as a reason to postpone the election as much as possible.”

"Once Washington issues the order, we will be able to mobilize a stronger force, advancing by land and sea, to completely eradicate this cancer."

After Colonel Wharton joined the Freemasons, Brigadier General George Phillips, who finally considered him one of his own, finally revealed his plans.

Captain Nicholson, on the other hand, sat there without saying a word, his eyes constantly observing Colonel Walton's reaction.

Even though the escape from Model Village had dispelled most of his doubts about Walton, he, as a cautious knight of the Solomon Temple, still harbored a basic skepticism towards everyone.

Simply put, everyone is an enemy in his eyes!
This is the most basic quality of an assassin.

After listening to Brigadier General George's plan, Colonel Walton pondered, "General, your plan is perfect! But the prerequisite is that you can persuade the Navy, especially Brigadier General Paparo King...!"

"After the war against the Mexicans ended, the main duties of the Pacific Squadron were escorting ships and fighting pirates."

"San Francisco, where Huamei Industrial's headquarters and arsenal are located, is the capital of California. Although California has not officially joined the United States, this land is, after all, part of the United States."

"General, what reason could you possibly give to persuade the Navy to deploy warships and openly fire upon California's capital and legitimate businesses?"

"Without irrefutable and sufficient reasons, I think no naval officer would risk being court-martialed to carry out such a plan."

Colonel Wharton's thinking and logic were still very clear, and he pointed out the key to the plan.

Brigadier General George nodded and said, "Indeed, without absolutely sufficient reasons, it's impossible to persuade those guys in the Navy."

“So…!” Brigadier General George turned his gaze to Nicholson and said, “Captain, you should explain it. After all, this is the plan you proposed.”

"Heh!" Nicholson said calmly with a smile, "It is indeed difficult to persuade those guys in the navy, but what if it were an armed merchant ship of the Huamei Company that deliberately fired on a naval warship to provoke it, or even caused damage to the naval warship and casualties among the naval soldiers...?"

Colonel Walton was a very intelligent man. As soon as he heard Nicholson's words, he immediately understood what they wanted to do!
Even Walton, who came from an intelligence background, was deeply shocked by this guy's audacity.

“I see…!” But Colonel Walton quickly followed up on Nicholson’s words, explaining, “All we need to do is get a ship similar to the Huamei Armed Merchant Ship, convert it into an armed merchant ship, and paint it with the Huamei Company’s name…!”

"Then, when the opportunity arises, fire two shots at the naval warships...!"

"Clap clap clap...!" Colonel Walton couldn't help but applaud and exclaim, "This is simply a flawless, ingenious plan!"

Brigadier General George Phillips smiled smugly and said, "Nicholson will be in charge of completing that part of the ship's construction."

"And my chief of staff, you need to show up at the Pacific Fleet headquarters in San Diego at the right time and persuade those guys in the Navy."

"Colonel, your minimum requirement for completing this mission is to have the Navy blockade the California coast, cut off the Huamei Company's maritime trade, and stop those ocean-going vessels transporting yellow-skinned monkeys."

"If we could get naval warships to bombard Huamei Industries' military factory on the island and its headquarters on the outskirts of San Francisco, that would be even better."

Brigadier General George Phillips continued, "And I will personally step in to get my friends in the California legislature to postpone the election date!"

What could Colonel Wharton say after hearing this?
He could only continue to exclaim in admiration, "General, did you and Captain Nicholson devise this plan? It's absolutely perfect! It far surpasses the standards of any other staff department!"

“It was mainly Captain Nicholson’s idea!” Brigadier General George said with a smug look on his face. “Of course, I also added some ideas and opinions.”

Nicholson continued, "We have found a suitable vessel and are secretly modifying it. It will take about another week to complete the modification."

"A week later, we will prioritize firing on the warships of the Pacific Squadron. If we do not find any warships, firing on the naval fortresses will have the same effect."

"After being bombarded by the navy, the ship will disappear completely, leaving no trace!"

Brigadier General George Phillips added, "Colonel Walton, you must be fully prepared to promptly relay the news of the Chinese American armed merchant ships' brazen attack on the U.S. Navy to the Navy in San Diego, and when the time is right, step in to persuade the Navy to take action."

“That grumpy guy Paparo King is unfortunately not one of the Freemasons, otherwise, there would be no need for all this trouble!”

Brigadier General George said earnestly, "So, Walton, I can only ask you to do your best to handle that old guy!"

Colonel Walton nodded firmly: "I understand, General. Rest assured, I will complete the mission!"

Brigadier General George added, "Be extremely careful to keep this a secret! Only the three of us know the whole plan. If it gets leaked...!" As he spoke, a flash of coldness crossed the eyes of George Phillips and Captain Nicholson as they stared at Colonel Walton.

The meaning of this sentence is very clear!
Only three people know the whole plan, so if the plan is leaked, the only one with a problem is Walton!

“General, Captain, you can rest assured! I will absolutely not divulge a single word to anyone!” Walton’s tone was exceptionally firm.

After George Phillips and Nicholson left, Walton, who was lying in bed recovering from his injury, began to think about it carefully.

"The plan devised by those two guys was absolutely vicious and perfect! Flawless!"

"If they succeed, it will indeed severely damage Huamei Company."

"But I'm also a shareholder of Huamei Company! How can I just sit by and let you destroy my business and my money?"

"But how can we thwart this wicked plan without exposing ourselves?"

Wharton fell into deep thought.

After pondering for a long time, Wharton still couldn't come up with a good solution.

It wouldn't be difficult to sabotage this plan.

But it's too difficult to avoid being exposed and to prevent others from suspecting you.

After racking his brains for a while without finding a good idea, Walton simply gave up and went to sleep.

For several days in a row, Walton focused on recovering from his injury and did not make any unnecessary movements.

Similarly, Nicholson did nothing these past few days but kept a close eye on Colonel Walton and the people around him in a dark, deserted corner.

Over the course of several days, even with Nicholson's abilities, he found no unusual activity from Walton or those around him.

"This guy actually seems to be fine! So, who exactly is that damned mole?"

Not only did Walton take no action, but the intelligence personnel that Nicholson had previously discovered, who had moved from New Mexico to Monterey following the Southwest Command, also completely disappeared without a trace.

When Walton was detained by Azu, the two sides agreed to cease all intelligence operations in the near future.

Since there wouldn't be any new information from Walton in the near future, Azu, just to be on the safe side, replaced those intelligence personnel.

The espionage operation was suspended, but external surveillance of the entire Southwest Command was at an unprecedented level.

After suffering a setback in Model Village, Ah Zu calculated that his opponent would continue to cause trouble and would not sit idly by while he continued to grow stronger, or even sit on the throne of the first governor of California.

Inside the office on the third floor of "Nianyue Building".

Ah Zu, Zuo Zongtang, Victoria, Monica, and Sixth Master are currently compiling all the recent intelligence.

As Azu flipped through the thick stack of various intelligence reports, his brows furrowed more and more.

"Have the guys in Monterey been so quiet these days?"

Azu looked up at Victoria and asked, "There was no unusual movement at all. This is completely out of character for that brigadier general!"

"He suffered such a huge loss in our model village, didn't he try to get revenge?"

Victoria shook her head and replied, "To protect Mr. Darksmith, we cut off all communication. However, from external surveillance, there is indeed no suspicious activity from the Southwest Command."

"How strange...!"

Azu rested his chin on his hand and pondered, "There's still a month and a half until the official election. Are they really going to just sit by and watch me become the first governor of California?"

"Once I become governor, it will be much harder for them to deal with me!"

"Whether it's done openly or covertly, dealing with the first governor is practically no different from a formal declaration of war."

"If I were them, I would definitely use this time to do something big, take the opportunity to ruin the California election, and prevent me from becoming governor."

"Beep beep beep...!" Azu tapped his finger on the mahogany tabletop, lost in thought.

Zuo Zongtang stroked his black beard and pondered, "Zunian, in California today, besides the U.S. Army, what other forces are qualified to cause us trouble?"

"Other forces that are causing us trouble?"

Ah Zu pondered, "And some members of the California legislature have been secretly causing us trouble."

"However, these lawmakers do not have the power of the gun, so even if they cause us trouble at the legislative level, they are not a threat."

"Aren't there any other forces?" Zuo Zongtang continued to ask. "As far as I know, the foreigners rely most on their powerful ships and cannons...!"

"Strong ships and powerful cannons...that's right!"

When Zuo Zongtang reminded him like that, Azu slapped his head hard, suddenly realizing the truth.

I have always focused my attention on the land, on the United States Army.

Their thinking unconsciously became fixed, and they completely forgot that there was an American military force in California—the Pacific Fleet of the Navy!
“Victoria…!” Azu immediately asked, “Does our eighteenth unit have any intelligence sources within the U.S. Navy?”

“Yes!” Victoria nodded. “We have intelligence personnel from our 18th Division in San Diego, where the Pacific Fleet headquarters is located. Our hotel has also been in San Diego for a long time, and many naval officers are regular guests.”

Victoria said, "But compared to the army, we pay less attention to the navy, and the effective intelligence we can obtain is also more limited."

"Strengthen intelligence gathering on the navy!"

Azu ordered, "Now, the army forces under the Southwest Command are no match for us. No matter how much the Brigadier General tries to cause trouble, he won't succeed."

"But the navy is completely different!"

Azu continued, "We're at sea with only about twenty armed merchant ships, each with just a few old cannons. They might be able to handle pirates. But what if we run into American naval warships...!"

"Moreover, most of our industries are either located by the sea or on islands, which are within the navy's attack range...!"

Chasers like myself who rise to prominence in a short period of time often focus on their areas of expertise while neglecting the development of other factors.

Only when all the elements are finally pieced together into a bucket will you discover that the planks of the bucket are of different lengths.

The more Azu thought about it, the more likely it became that Commodore George Phillips would use naval power against him.

Moreover, if the navy were to turn against them, they would have no power to resist!
"We were careless! Completely careless!"

Azu said in a deep voice, "Victoria, send over all the information you have collected about the Pacific Fleet."

"Immediately, BOSS!"

A moment later, Victoria returned quickly carrying a stack of documents.

As Azu flipped through the documents, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

"The main responsibilities of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet are escorting ships and combating piracy. It is equipped with a total of 27 warships of various sizes."

"Most of them are shallow-water gunboats for coastal use, and only four can be considered as main warships."

"The flagship of the squadron is the 1,100-ton sailing frigate HMS Portsmouth, equipped with twenty guns of 24 pounds and 32 pounds each."

"The steam-powered frigate 'Savanna' had a displacement of 1,200 tons and was equipped with 26 guns, including 24-pound and 32-pound guns."

……

After reviewing the data on these Pacific Fleets, Azu looked up and said, "Right now, our naval strength is completely insufficient to contend with the United States Navy, not even a small fleet!"

"If we can't confront them head-on, then we must find a way to maintain a good relationship with the navy!"

Azu turned to Monica and said, "Our PR director, please make arrangements immediately to invite Captain Klein Perry of the naval fortress garrison to come and catch up with me. Also, please arrange for him to visit our newly launched 'Taishan' ironclad propeller steamship!"

(End of this chapter)