North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 149 Easily
"Mr. President, if we allow the Freemasons to run rampant, the United States may have no choice but to formally declare war on California!"

President Fillmore also recognized the seriousness of the matter.

The fact that more than a thousand American soldiers were killed or wounded is itself a very serious matter!
The United States Army currently has fewer than 100,000 personnel in total. The fact that more than 1,000 people were killed or wounded in one incident is an event that has shocked the entire nation.

Moreover, this casualty incident did not result from a serious conflict with a foreign regular army, nor from a defeat in the Indian Wars.

Instead, it was an American general who, without any evidence or orders, brazenly attacked legitimate private property and a group of farmers who were clearing land to cultivate the land... As a result, more than a thousand people were killed or wounded...!
The matter was so bizarre and unbelievable.

But the more this is the case, the more likely it is to become a hot topic of public concern.

With a little hype, those with ulterior motives can exploit the overwhelming public opinion to achieve their ulterior motives!
As for who the person with ulterior motives is and what ulterior motives they want to achieve, President Fillmore could figure it out even with his toes!
The more President Fillmore thought about it, the more chilled he became: "Abraham, those damned Freemasons, they are so audacious, and their reach is so far too great."

"They are using the blood of our American soldiers to achieve their personal goals, and this is absolutely unforgivable!"

“Abraham, you are right! We must weaken and suppress the Freemasons as soon as possible, otherwise the whole of America will become their plaything!”

Lincoln replied in a deep voice, "Mr. President, if we want to weaken and suppress the Freemasons, we must start with the military!"

"Guns must be in our own hands, not the Freemasons'!"

“You’re right!” President Fillmore nodded in agreement: “Apart from that damned George Phillips, half the generals in the army are Freemasons, which is absolutely terrifying!”

Lincoln took a list out of his pocket and handed it to the president, saying, "These are all Freemason generals who occupy key positions. Starting from the area around Washington, we must replace them all as soon as possible."

President Fillmore took the list and became increasingly alarmed as he read it: "Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Navy, Commander of the Northeast Command, Commander of the Southeast Command, Commander of the Central Command, Commander of the Home Fleet, Commander of the Africa Flotilla, Commander of the Mediterranean Flotilla...!"

After seeing the list, President Fillmore broke out in a cold sweat!

"Abraham, shouldn't we also be careful not to rush things, otherwise...!"

President Fillmore didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

Weakening and suppressing Freemasonry is imperative, but if we act too hastily, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a vicious tiger like Freemasonry that devours people without spitting out the bones!

Lincoln nodded in agreement: “Let’s take it one step at a time, starting with the Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff.”

"Abraham, do you have a replacement in mind?"

Lincoln pulled another list from his pocket: "None of these are Freemasons. They are qualified and capable enough to replace those Freemason generals."

Fillmore took the list again, quickly glanced through it, and said, "Very good! It seems you were well prepared, Abraham."

"Faced with a behemoth like the Freemasons, it is absolutely impossible not to prepare in advance," Lincoln replied calmly.

President Fillmore looked at the first few names on the list and said, "The other generals are fine, but the appointment and removal of the Secretary of the Army requires the support of Parliament. And the Freemasons are the most powerful in Parliament, so it will be very difficult to pass the appointment and removal."

Lincoln replied, "Don't touch the Secretary of War yet. Start with the generals around him. Replace them all with non-Freemason generals. It will be much easier to deal with him later."

“That’s a good idea!”

……

Next, President Fillmore discussed the key personnel selections with Lincoln one by one.

After the initial discussion, President Fillmore said, "Abraham, you met that Chinese man in San Francisco. Now the Freemasons have mobilized so many resources and forces, determined to get rid of him. Tell me, what kind of person is he?"

Lincoln thought for a moment before replying, "He is an incredible Chinese man! I have never met such an outstanding person."

"He has only been in America for a little over a year, yet the Freemasons see him as a thorn in their side and are determined to get rid of him as soon as possible. This alone is enough to demonstrate his extraordinary nature."

"Moreover, the fact that the Freemasons used such a large force but still couldn't take him down proves everything."

Upon hearing Lincoln's words, President Fillmore frowned and said, "Abraham, however outstanding he may be, was still a Chinese man."

"Now, he has developed so much in California, while we Americans have almost no control over California."

"Aren't you worried that if this continues, one day California will no longer be California of the United States?"

After a moment's thought, Lincoln said, "That's possible! But California's population is really too small, only a little over 100,000 people right now."

"No matter how it develops, its tiny and insignificant population determines that it cannot break away from the United States, much less compete with it."

Hearing Lincoln's explanation, President Fillmore was somewhat relieved: "You're right! Population determines everything. Without enough population, that Chinese man is nothing to worry about."

Then, President Fillmore turned his attention back to the model village issue.

“Abraham, in your opinion, how should we handle this matter?”

Lincoln replied, “At the government level, we cannot favor the China Company, nor can we favor the Freemasons; we must speak with the truth. Brigadier General George Phillips, who has been relieved of his duties, should be returning to Washington soon.”

"At that time, let the court conduct a fair trial and reveal the truth to the public."

Lincoln continued, "But in private, we cannot allow the Freemasons to manipulate public opinion. Once we have aroused public outrage in America, it will be too late for anything we say or do."

"Fortunately, we received the news in advance, so it was still not too late."

President Fillmore hesitated, then asked, "You mean, we've taken the initiative to control public opinion?"

"Yes!"

Lincoln said, "Mr. President, I believe you will see the whole story and the whole truth in the newspapers tomorrow."

"Of course, the truth is limited to Brigadier General George and will not involve the Freemasons; otherwise, this matter risks getting completely out of control."

"Furthermore, we must inform those members of parliament as soon as possible, and at least those other than the Freemasons, to remain neutral for the time being and patiently wait for the truth to come out."

After hearing Lincoln's solutions, President Fillmore nodded in agreement: "This is undoubtedly the best arrangement at present!"

At this point, President Fillmore couldn't help but exclaim, "Abraham, although you are so young, you are exceptionally politically astute and have a perfect grasp of the nuances of things. Given time, you will certainly be an outstanding president!"

"No, no, no!" Lincoln quickly shook his head: "Mr. President, my qualifications are too shallow, and compared to you, my prestige and popular support are far inferior. You are the only choice for the next three years and the next term as president!"

At this time, it is crucial not to arouse the president's suspicion.

Otherwise, the alliance that has been so hard-won will fall apart in an instant.

And for the next three years, he, as the vice president, will become nothing more than a symbolic mascot!
This is politics!
In the face of power, any alliance, even one based on blood ties, appears so fragile and so vulnerable.

Therefore, we must never let President Fillmore feel threatened by his power!
Sure enough, President Fillmore smiled with relief when he heard Lincoln say this: "Abraham, don't underestimate yourself! Gain a few more years of experience, and I will support you to become the new president!"

This is what happens when a leader makes empty promises!

The implication was that Lincoln, if you support me for my full three-year term as president, and then continue for another four, I will definitely support you.

Lincoln smiled and said, "Mr. President, I still have a lot to learn from you! I think you should continue in office for the next term and the one after that! I'm still young, and waiting another eleven years is no problem at all!"

"Hahaha...!" President Fillmore laughed heartily, patting Lincoln on the shoulder and saying, "Abraham, when did you become so eloquent?"
-
The following day, newspapers in major Eastern cities such as Washington, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore carried a shocking news story on their front pages that reverberated throughout the United States!
The Southwest Command of the United States Army, with its utmost authority, organized more than 3,000 infantry, cavalry and artillerymen to launch a brazen attack on the legitimate private property of California Huamei Company without any authorization or evidence!
And those private properties were just ordinary villages that had reclaimed land for farming!
Even more astonishingly, the mighty United States Army suffered a crushing defeat in its attack on these villages, inflicting heavy casualties of over a thousand men. This sensational news immediately stirred up a massive uproar in the most prosperous and central part of the United States—the East!

Even though California Huamei Industries is located in the far west, many people in the eastern United States have heard of it.

Many people now wear jeans produced by Huamei Company, but what makes Huamei Company even more memorable is the miracle drug penicillin!
I heard that the U.S. Army launched a surprise attack on a village belonging to the Huamei Company, and actually suffered a defeat against a group of peasant farmers... If this news isn't explosive, what is?!
Immediately, public sentiment surged and opinions boiled over, with most of the criticism directed at Brigadier General George Phillips, commander of the U.S. Army Southwest Command!
This general attacked legitimate private property without authorization or evidence, and what's worse, he even suffered a defeat!

There is no more audacious, incompetent, and foolish American general than this!

Following this explosive news, it attracted widespread attention from the whole society. Newspapers followed the hot topic closely and published a series of exclusive commentaries and editorials, most of which pointed the finger at Brigadier General George.

However, a few sharp comments and editorials questioned the authenticity of the news, questioning how a mere peasant who reclaimed land could defeat the U.S. Army, which had just experienced the baptism of the Mexican-American War.
However, these few doubts and questions seemed insignificant amidst the overwhelming accusations and abuse directed at Brigadier General George Phillips, and were quickly drowned out.

……

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Freemason Grand Lodge!

You read that right, the history of Freemasonry predates the city of Washington, D.C. Therefore, the headquarters of Freemasonry is located in Philadelphia, a city with an even longer and more established history.

Moreover, Philadelphia was the capital of the United States before Washington!

Therefore, it is only natural that the Freemasons would be headquartered here.

"Snapped……!"

In a huge room decorated with pristine white marble, a group of people dressed in black and gray suits and wearing top hats, each with a different colored scarf, sat around a large marble round table.

Directly in front of the round table, a man wearing a dark gold scarf was slamming several newspapers heavily onto the marble tabletop.

Why did our plan spiral out of control?

"Why did these newspapers get the news before us?"

Why has public opinion swung so completely against us?

"What on earth is George Phillips doing? Why can't he even beat a bunch of peasants who are clearing land and farming?"

"Moreover, why was the message he delivered a step slower than the newspaper's news channels?"

……

"Can anyone tell me why this is happening...?"

After posing a series of questions, the man in the dark gold scarf swept his gaze across everyone present.

Everyone present fell silent, no one daring to speak at that moment.

"Hmph...!" The dark gold scarf snorted, "Now, the plan is on the verge of complete failure! Especially with public opinion completely out of control, it's extremely disadvantageous for us."

"Tell me, how can this plan be salvaged?"

"Ahem...!" Finally, someone coughed twice and said, "President, we still control quite a few newspapers. We should immediately organize a counterattack and reverse public opinion...!"

"Too late!" The Freemason Grand Master, wearing a dark gold scarf, said coldly, "The fact that that idiot George Phillips couldn't defeat a bunch of peasants is undeniable."

"What the American people hate most is not attacking legitimate private property without authorization or evidence."

"What they despise most is a stupid general who lost a battle! And an American general who was defeated by peasants! Do you understand?"

Another person chimed in, "President, before public opinion turns against our organization, we should cut ties with that idiot George Phillips as soon as possible...!"

"A complete severance...?" The Grand Master's face was hidden in shadow. "That means our plan has completely failed!"

The man replied, “Sir, as long as our organization remains unaffected, we will have another chance to deal with that Chinese guy sooner or later. Penicillin and California gold will be ours again sooner or later.”

"And George Phillips has been dismissed by the president, and now he is worthless. He is nothing but a liability to our organization."

"If we wait for him to return to Washington, he will most likely face a trial. Then, he will certainly implicate our organization…!"

"A liability to the organization...!" After a moment's hesitation, the patriarch said, "In that case, let's make the arrangements to make him disappear completely...!"

"Yes, my lord!"

The Grand Master, still shrouded in shadow, continued, “After that idiot George was replaced, our strength in California was greatly weakened. With the plan failing, seizing penicillin and California’s massive gold reserves has become quite difficult.”

"Currently, the Army commander in charge of the California direction is Pepper Thomas, and the Navy commander is Paparo King. Neither of these guys are on our side."

"Moreover, we have very few members in California and are weak. If we just stand by and watch that Chinese guy continue to grow stronger, he will become increasingly difficult to deal with."

"Is there any way to quickly eliminate that Chinese guy and seize penicillin and California gold in one fell swoop?"

Faced with the Grand Master's question, the core members of the Freemasons collectively fell into deep thought.

"Grand Master, the simplest and most direct solution is to deploy more Solomon Temple Hidden Knights!"

Someone replied, "If we can assassinate that Chinese guy, his power will collapse, and he'll be easy to deal with."

After a moment of contemplation, the Grand Master said, "The Thirteen Hidden Knights of the Solomon Temple are each of the organization's most precious assets! The cost of training them far exceeds their weight in gold."

"I have already dispatched one of the Thirteen Hidden Knights, but so far there has been no news of success."

“Sending out more Hidden Knights won’t guarantee success. We also need to send out our most capable masters to organize and strengthen the weak Freemasons of California.”

"Also, we need to control at least one of the Army and Navy responsible for the California area, otherwise we will be powerless to deal with that Chinese guy."

"Brigadier General Thomas has just taken office, and it is impossible to replace him in the short term."

“But that old guy Paparo King has been going against our organization all along, it’s time to replace him.”

The president said in a deep voice, "Take down Paparo King as soon as possible and replace him with one of our men."

"As for the person to lead the California organization, I think Master Albert Parker is more than capable of the job!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the men at the table stood up, bowed, and saluted, saying, "I am willing to go through fire and water for the organization!"

“Excellent! Master Pike, I will personally select three Solomon Temple Knights to accompany you!”

"Your mission is to kill that Chinese guy, seize penicillin and California gold, and then take control of all of California!"

"Master Parker, can you do it?"

Master Albert Parker smiled confidently: "Easy peasy...!"

(End of this chapter)