North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 147 The unbeatable Xiaoqiang
"Put down your weapons, give up resistance, and I'll spare your life!"

Nicholson ignored Azu's orders, his cold gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone in the cockpit.

"Damn it, why are you all on this ship? Tell me!"

Azu countered, "I'd also like to ask you, why did you disguise yourself as a ship of our Huamei Company and launch a surprise attack on the American Navy?"

"Heh!" Nicholson sneered. "Why? Why do you think it is...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Nicholson's left hand suddenly twitched!
The poisoned dagger in his hand shot towards Azu's throat!

"Ding……!"

Shi Dakai, who was standing in front of Azu, used his left hand to precisely deflect the poisoned dagger in mid-air with a small knife.

At the same time, Nicholson quickly retreated, taking several steps back as he tried to escape from the cockpit.

"middle……!"

Without hesitation, Shi Dakai's left hand flashed out with a small knife.

"puff……!"

The knife struck Nicholson squarely in the back of his right heel.

"what……!"

With a scream, Nicholson, dragging his injured right leg, leaped into the icy seawater.

"Damn it, don't let him get away...!"

General Paparo King, accompanied by a group of staff officers, rushed to the ship's side and unleashed a barrage of shots into the sea.

"Bang bang bang...!"

Everyone had fired all the bullets in their guns, but in the seawater, only a clump of crimson blood floated to the surface.

At the same time, Azu took out two grenades from the cockpit, released the safety, held them in his hand for a couple of seconds, and then threw them into the sea.

“BOOM, BOOM…!”

Two jets of water shot into the sky, but after waiting for a moment, the assassin still did not appear.

"Boss, should I send people down to search?"

Azu stared at the gradually calming sea and shook his head slightly: "With this guy's ability to escape, sending more people down won't help if we don't kill him."

"Captain Kent, have all the enemies who have fallen into the water retrieved, tied them up, and locked them up for the navy to interrogate!"

"Okay, BOSS!"

Moments later, the crew members of the "Indomitable" and "Angry Sea" who had miraculously survived the fall into the water were all pulled aboard the "Taishan".

The seawater was exceptionally cold in late November.

The crew members, who had been in the sea for a while, were pulled aboard and tied up tightly. They were all huddled together, their faces pale and their teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Brigadier General Paparo Kim, along with a group of staff officers, personally interrogated these lucky survivors.

"I am Commodore Paparo King, Commander of the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy!"

General Jin immediately revealed his identity, then asked in a cold, angry tone, "Tell me, who are you? Why did you attack the naval patrol boat?"

"Giggle...!"

The group of trembling men quickly said, "Sir, give us a drink so we can warm ourselves by the fire. We...we're freezing to death!"

"Sir?" General Jin snapped, "You call me 'sir'? Are you soldiers too? Which unit are you from?"

"I...we are the artillerymen of the 4th Independent Artillery Battalion under the Southwest Command of the Army!"

"Army...artillery...!"

If General Jin still doesn't understand everything after hearing this, then he's incredibly foolish!
"Who ordered you to attack the naval patrol boat?"

"I...we don't know!"

The artilleryman, trembling, replied, "I...we were just ordered to board...board the ship, then changed into merchant sailors' clothes, and then...then the captain ordered us to fire, so we...fired!"

"Captain? Who's the captain? Is there a captain here? Step forward!"

Faced with General Jin's roar, a middle-aged man tremblingly raised his hand: "I...I am the captain of the Angry Sea!"

"You're the captain? Who gave you permission to disguise yourselves as a Huamei Company ship? Who gave you permission to fire at a naval patrol boat?"

The captain of the "Angry Sea" replied in a trembling voice, "It's...it's that Captain Nicholson!"

"He...he has orders from the Southwest Command, and he...he makes us obey his orders in everything."

"I...I used to be the captain of an army supply ship. We...we were just following orders!"

At this point, Brigadier General Paparo Kim finally understood everything!
General Jin, his face grim, waved his hand and said, "Take these unlucky fellows away, give them some clothes and a drink, don't let them freeze to death!"

"Yes, Sir...!"

General Jin continued, "Keep a close eye on them. Don't let them die, and more importantly, don't let them escape! Register all their background information and the detailed process of their involvement in this matter!"

"This matter will be a long legal battle with those idiots in the army!"

"Yes Sir!"

After the staff had led all the survivors into the cabin, General Jin walked up to Azu with a long face and said, "I think I have figured out the whole story."

"That idiot George Phillips used such a vicious and insidious method to drag our navy down with him!"

"Li, I need to return to San Diego immediately to report everything that happened here to the Navy Department, and I also need you to give us a ride!"

“Of course!” Azu agreed.

"Sigh...!" General Jin sighed, "Our navy originally wanted to stay out of it, but now it seems that even if we don't get involved in your mess, it won't work."

"Since that idiot Phillips dared to plot against me, he shouldn't blame me for being impolite!"

“Even if he is a core member of the Freemasons, even if many people in Washington will protect him, I will still take him to a military court!”

"Later, I will send naval divers to retrieve evidence from this area. My intelligence department will also go to Monterey to gather further evidence. With so many witnesses we've caught, even the Freemasons will have no chance of protecting that damned idiot Phillips!"

Judging from this, the navy and the army are about to clash!

This is the situation that Ah Zu most wants to see!
At this time, the naval patrol boat that had been damaged and forced to sit on the beach also dispatched a small boat to dock next to the "Taishan".

The captain of the patrol boat personally boarded the ship to report the losses to General Jin.

"Report, General, my patrol boat has been shelled twice, taking nineteen hits, causing serious damage to the hull, and we have no choice but to run aground!"

"The patrol boat suffered a total of eleven casualties, including four deaths, seven serious injuries, and several minor injuries..."

After hearing the patrol captain's report, General Jin's anger, which had just subsided, was reignited: "These sons of bitches in the army... Phillips, you son of a bitch, don't fall into my hands!"

Not only naval patrol boats, but also several crew members on the "Taishan" suffered casualties.

The heavily damaged patrol boat was no longer able to sail. After leaving some of the patrol boat's officers and soldiers to guard it, the "Taishan" carried everyone back to the San Diego naval port as quickly as possible.

The next morning, after finally returning to the naval port, Azu personally escorted General Jin and his staff to the entrance of the headquarters.

As they parted, General Jin gripped Azu's hand tightly: "Li, don't worry, this time, at least my fleet and I will definitely stand by your side...!"

Before General Jin could finish speaking, an officer on duty came up to report: "General, Chief of Staff Walton of the Southwest Army Command is waiting for you to see him at headquarters?"

"What?" General Jin's eyes widened instantly: "Well, well! They actually dare to come here to die!"

General Jin, who was simmering with rage and had nowhere to vent it, roared furiously, "Men, arrest that damned Army Chief of Staff!!"

"Yes Sir!"

Immediately, heavily armed naval soldiers stormed into the headquarters. Moments later, Colonel Walton, bound hand and foot, was brought before General King.

Wharton was really unlucky!
He had just arrived at the fleet headquarters and hadn't even had a chance to say a word when he was tightly bound.

"General Jin, why are you arresting me? I am a colonel and chief of staff of the Southwest Command of the Army, I am... wait!"

Walton's eyes widened even more when he saw Azu beside General Paparo King: "You... what are you doing here?"

Azu smiled slightly at him: "Colonel Wharton, long time no see! Why can't I be here?"

As he spoke, Azu winked at him and shook his head slightly.

Judging from Azu's appearance beside General Kim and his actions, Colonel Walton keenly sensed that his general's entire plan had most likely failed!
In that instant, Colonel Walton's mind raced, and countless thoughts flashed through his head.

Has George Phillips and Captain Nicholson's plan truly failed?
If you've already failed, what should you do?
According to Brigadier General George's original plan, he was to persuade General King to deploy the Navy, blockade the California coast, and even bombard the Huamei Company.

But if the plan has really failed, and General Kim has learned part or even all of the truth, wouldn't it be like walking into the line of fire if he stubbornly went forward to persuade him?

If General Kim didn't know the truth, why did he arrest himself?

He was, after all, an army colonel and chief of staff of the Southwest Command, only one rank lower than Brigadier General Paparo King, the naval fleet commander!

Seeing General Kim's furious expression, while Azu stood unharmed beside him, the reason for his arrest was obvious!

But if I don't persuade General Kim, then what's the point of my trip to San Diego?

Brigadier General George's plot was exposed; his order to disguise civilian armed merchant ships to attack the Navy was an absolutely heinous crime!

If this matter gets reported to the Navy Department or Washington, Brigadier General George will be severely punished, if not killed!

As an accomplice, his own fate was equally tragic!
As a core Freemason, Brigadier General George might still have someone in Washington protecting him, allowing the matter to be minimized and resolved peacefully.

And what about himself, a colonel chief of staff with no connections? Would he become the scapegoat for all of this? Would he be thrown out like a pawn by the Army and the Freemasons to appease the Navy's anger?

Within the entire Southwestern Command of the Army, his real power and rank were second only to Brigadier General George Phillips. Coupled with the fact that he had no powerful backers, he was practically the perfect scapegoat!
The matter is far too serious and egregious. If I were to be falsely accused, it would be far more serious than simply being dismissed from my military post.

Given the losses suffered by the Navy, it is entirely possible for him to go from long-term imprisonment to hanging!
Thinking of this, Colonel Walton couldn't help but shudder!
I felt a bone-chilling coldness from head to toe in an instant!

Having thought all this through, Colonel Wharton made the wisest decision of his life in an instant!
“General Jin…!” Colonel Walton straightened up, his face radiating righteous indignation, and said in a deep voice, “I have traveled day and night, risking great danger, to San Diego specifically to personally report to you a massive conspiracy targeting the Navy…!”

Azu breathed a slight sigh of relief and secretly gave Walton a thumbs up in his heart.

Wharton's statement was absolutely crucial!
Just that one sentence instantly reversed his status!

At this moment, Colonel Walton transformed himself from a shameful accomplice into an upright officer who refused to compromise his principles and dared to report his superior's vicious conspiracy!

Upon hearing Walton's words, Azu nodded slightly to him.

Seeing Ah Zu's movements out of the corner of his eye, Colonel Walton knew he had made the right bet!
"call……!"

Wharton, who felt his life hung by a thread, had his heart in his throat just now.

They were terrified that if they uttered a single wrong word, they would fall into an endless abyss of no return.

Colonel Walton finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing Walton's words, General King was also surprised and carefully examined the army colonel in front of him!

"Colonel Walton, I'd like to know, what conspiracy are you reporting?"

Walton glanced around and cautiously whispered, "General, this is not the place to talk. This is a matter of great importance, and I need to report to you privately!"

General Jin looked him over again and said in a deep voice, "Alright, come with me...!"

General King led Colonel Walton into his office and closed the doors and windows tightly.

The two stayed in the office for at least half an hour.

When the two reappeared in the public eye, Colonel Walton was no longer bound and stood shoulder to shoulder with General Paparo King, looking relaxed.

General Kim said to Colonel Walton, "Colonel, you must remain in my headquarters during this time. I will arrange for someone to protect your safety."

"With your personal testimony, that idiot Phillips will have no chance of getting away with it!"

General Jin addressed the group of staff officers guarding the office door, saying, "You have two days to go to the scene, collect and salvage all physical evidence, and at the same time, organize all relevant statements and evidence."

"Two days from now, I will report this appalling and vile conspiracy directly to the Navy Department, Congress, and the President!"

"At the same time, given the current complex situation, all warships and officers and soldiers of the fleet shall be placed on Level II combat readiness to guard against the enemy lurking in the shadows and launching a desperate and shameless attack!"

"Yes, Sir...!"

All staff officers immediately sprang into action, each carrying out General Jin's orders.

General Jin finally turned his gaze to Azu: "Mr. Li, I also need you to write down your testimony about what you saw, heard, and did today."

"Also, the things that happened between you and Brigadier General George Phillips before this should also be included in your testimony."

"Only by clearly explaining all the causes and consequences can the dirty conspiracy that happened today be reasonably explained."

Azu nodded: "No problem, General, I will write this testimony in as much detail as possible."

"very good……!"

Ah Zu exchanged a brief glance with Colonel Walton, then boarded his "Taishan" ship, closed the door, and began handwriting this important testimony.

That evening, Azu handed the testimony to General Kim.

Then, the "Taishan" carrying Azu and his party, dragging its damaged hull, embarked on its journey home.

Ah Zu cannot stay here any longer and must return to San Francisco as soon as possible.

General Kim was afraid that Brigadier General George Phillips would act desperately, and Azu was equally afraid that the mad dog would go berserk and bite people.
-
Meanwhile, in Monterey, at the Army Southwest Command.

From early morning, Brigadier General George Phillips was unusually anxious!

The final plan was finally put into action, and Brigadier General George Phillips knew that this was his last desperate gamble!
If the plan succeeds, then everything will be fine!
If the plan fails, he, as the mastermind and manipulator behind this conspiracy, will fall into an abyss of no return.

As a brigadier general in the U.S. Army and commander of the Southwest Command, he actually plotted against the U.S. Navy!
This is no longer a normal internal conflict; at the very least, it's "murder."

To put it bluntly, it would be "conspiracy to incite war"!
With such a serious crime, even his "friends" in Washington would most likely not be able to protect him.

Therefore, after Walton and Nicholson left Monterey one after another to carry out their final operations, Brigadier General George Phillips became anxious and uncertain.

In his decades of military service, George Phillips had never felt the wait for news to be so agonizing.

This torment continued late into the night without any relief; in fact, it worsened.

As the clock struck twelve, marking the dawn, Brigadier General George Phillips paced back and forth in his office.

He had long since given up cigars, but he had them in his hand again, yet he forgot to take a puff for a long time.

"Beep beep beep...!"

The sudden knocking startled Brigadier General George, causing his cigar to tremble and drop a large amount of ash.

"who……?"

"I……!"

The brigadier general quickly got up and opened the door. The dark figure outside stumbled into the office, only to collapse onto the sofa and remain silent for a long time.

"Captain Nicholson, what... what happened to you?"

In Brigadier General George Phillips's eyes, Captain Nicholson had never looked so disheveled!
He was soaking wet, covered in blood and dust, and had horrifying wounds on his head, torso, hands, and legs that were still bleeding.

Even Nicholson's mouth, nose, and ears were bleeding continuously.

Seeing Nicholson's ghastly appearance, Brigadier General George Phillips felt an extremely ominous premonition.

"Captain, what... what exactly is going on?"

(End of this chapter)