North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 150 We Are All Businessmen

The time came to December 1850.

The ripples caused by the "Model Village" conflict gradually subsided with the disappearance of Brigadier General George Phillips, and were eventually forgotten.

The Joan of Arc, which regularly travels between San Francisco and Panama City, has once again completed its ten-day voyage and docked at Clarke Quay in San Francisco.

Among the passengers, a middle-aged man wearing a black top hat and a dark blue suit, arm in arm with a plump and beautiful woman in her thirties, slowly walked down the gangway of the "Joan of Arc" with the assistance of two attendants.

With considerable interest, the middle-aged man removed his top hat and murmured, "Everyone says the West is remote and desolate. But San Francisco's prosperity isn't much less than that of the port cities in the East!"

The two attendants behind him also squinted and observed their surroundings. One of them lowered his voice and said, "It is indeed prosperous, but there are too many yellow-skinned... Chinese people!"

The total number of Chinese people in California now far exceeds 30,000, with 70-80% of them concentrated in San Francisco.

San Francisco, which had a population of just over 20,000 last year, now has a population of over 50,000, and half of them are Chinese.

The four of them looked around and saw that the crowd of passersby was almost evenly divided between white and yellow skin.

Moreover, judging from the behavior of passersby, people with white skin and yellow skin get along very harmoniously, and at least on the surface, there is no obvious distinction between superior and inferior.

Coincidentally, at the same time that the "Joan of Arc" docked, another Chinese merchant fleet consisting of three ocean-going clipper ships had just returned from their voyage. More than a thousand Chinese people who had spent more than two months at sea were queuing to pass through customs.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man in the suit's expression turned cold: "If this continues, California may no longer be our white man's California!"

Upon hearing this, the two attendants showed expressions of deep agreement.

The four men disembarked from the boat, hired a horse-drawn carriage at random, and headed straight for the city center.

The driver was also a Chinese man with yellow skin, and he spoke exceptionally fluent English.

"I see that this is your first time visiting San Francisco, right?"

The talkative driver struck up a casual conversation with the four passengers.

San Francisco?
Upon hearing these words, the four passengers couldn't help but furrow their brows.

The middle-aged man in a suit forced a smile and replied, "Yes, this is my first time in San Francisco."

"I've been on the ship for a month or so. I wonder if anything interesting has happened in San Francisco lately?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Something new? Heh!" The driver became interested: "The newest thing, of course, is that election."

"election?"

The driver exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! The California election that just ended elected our Ah Zu as the first governor of California, hehe...!"

"Guests, you probably don't know, but our great-grandfather has only been in San Francisco for a year and a half, and he's not even twenty years old yet!"

At this point, the driver smiled proudly and said, "Not only did Ah Zu become the governor, but more than a dozen of us Chinese were also elected as state legislators...!"

"The first governor of California...our great-grandfather...!" The three men in the car looked even more serious, but the beautiful woman remained nonchalant, still enjoying the scenery around her with great interest.

The driver then said, "Judging from your attire, you must be from the east doing business, right?"

The middle-aged man in a suit asked curiously, "How did you figure that out?"

"Hehe!" the driver replied, "Guests from the east always dress more carefully! Those who come to do business are even more particular. With so many guests, it's easy to tell them apart at a glance."

"Good eye!" The middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "You're right! We're here from Georgia to do cotton business."

At this point, the middle-aged man couldn't help but inquire, "We've heard that San Francisco's demand for cotton is increasing, and high-quality cotton is becoming increasingly scarce. Is that true?"

The driver replied cheerfully, "Sir, your information is correct! Hua Mei's textile and garment factories are doing very well; their jeans are almost sold all over the Americas."

"Now it's not just jeans, all kinds of gorgeous ready-to-wear clothes are selling very well, and the demand for cotton is increasing."

"But California doesn't have much cotton, so we have to ship it from your eastern region. The transportation time is long, the price is high, and it's in very short supply!"

Hearing the driver say this, the middle-aged man asked in surprise, "You're a driver, how do you know so much?"

"Hehe!" the driver laughed. "My wife works at Huamei Textile Factory, so she knows a little about it."

“My husband earns more than me every month! If I weren’t physically unable to work, I would have gone to work at Huamei too.”

……

We walked and talked along the way, and before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination.

When I got off the bus, the middle-aged man in a suit generously gave me a one-dollar tip.

Such a large tip is something a driver might not encounter even once in a month of driving, so of course he was extremely grateful and kept nodding and bowing.

The middle-aged man in a suit handed the driver a rather exquisite business card and said with a smile, "I am Tony O'Hara of the O'Hara family in Georgia. The main business of the entire family is cotton."

“We were sent by our family to develop the cotton business. We’re new here and know nothing about the situation. If you know anything about cotton business, come find me here.”

The man in the suit smiled and patted the driver on the shoulder: "As long as we close the deal, you'll get your share of the commission!"

"Yes, yes, yes. If I know of any cotton business opportunities, I will definitely introduce them to Mr. O'Hara."

After the driver drove away, the four of them carried their luggage and entered an ordinary two-story building.
-
That evening, the Huamei Company headquarters was brightly lit.

The first California general election has come to a close.

The Huamei Group, led by Ah Zu, unsurprisingly won a resounding victory!
Azuma, along with Whig leader Wilson and Democratic leader Ansel, competed for the first governorship of California.

Election Day ended three days ago, and the California Board of Elections only completed the statewide vote count this morning.

Ultimately, according to the vote results released by the election commission, Azuma received 78,000 out of 107,000 votes, a total of 72.9%, overwhelmingly defeating the other two candidates and becoming the first governor of California without any controversy!

Besides Azu becoming the first governor, fifteen Chinese American whites, led by Edgar Allan Poe, were successfully elected as state legislators, including Parker Parker, Jason Sr., Mayor Vick, Harley, Martinez Sr., and the original group of young people who came to San Francisco.

This group of white, Chinese-American legislators controlled the California Senate.

Thirteen Chinese, led by Zuo Zongtang, successfully ran for state assembly members, including Feng Zicai, Shi Dakai, Wu Qingfeng, Sixth Master, Zou Boqi, Ayan, and Ninth Uncle.

These Chinese-American legislators control the California House of Representatives.

At that time, the California legislature, including the Senate and the House of Representatives, had only fifty members in total.

The twenty-eight Chinese American legislators have firmly controlled the legislative power of the entire state of California!

With the addition of Chief Justice Burnett, who is outwardly hostile but actually firmly controlled by Azuma, Azuma has the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of California, the so-called separation of powers, all in his hands.

There are also powerful figures across California who are tightly bound together by the distribution rights to penicillin and other Huamei products. California is now almost a monolithic entity!
Therefore, a grand celebration was held at the headquarters of Huamei that evening.

It's still that three-story building. The new headquarters building was laid half a year ago, and it's located a hundred meters directly in front of the three-story building.

The newly built headquarters building of Huamei is so large that it will take at least another year to be fully completed.

Inside the restaurant, Peter Parker, the interim governor who had not yet stepped down, raised his glass first: "In about ten days, my term as interim governor in name only will be over!"

"Our California is about to welcome a true governor!" "I absolutely believe that California's first governor will truly lead the entire state towards prosperity, stability, and equality!"

"Let us raise a glass together and wish for an even brighter tomorrow under the leadership of this young and great governor!"

"Congratulations, Azu!!! Congratulations to our Huamei!!!"

At Parker Parker's passionate toast, everyone present raised their glasses high!

"Congratulations, Azu!!! Congratulations to our Huamei!!!"

"Congratulations, Azu!!! Congratulations to our Huamei!!!"

"Congratulations, Azu!!! Congratulations to our Huamei!!!"

Everyone beamed with joy and raised their glasses in celebration!

Even people like Ayan, who were far away at the Giant Elephant Mountain mining base, made a special trip back at the end of the year to participate in the election and celebration activities.

Although people like Ah Yan have been staying in the Elephant Mountain area for the past six months and have almost never participated in any campaign activities, under Ah Zu's strong operation, a Chinese man like him who has no reputation, no background, and is young has actually become a high-ranking California assemblyman!

A little over a year ago, young Chinese people like Ayan were just fishermen fishing on the coast of Taishan, Guangdong, semi-literate and barely able to read a few characters.

Who would have thought that, just by following the right Ah Zu, he would gain both fame and fortune in just over a year, not only becoming a California assemblyman but also serving as the commander of the 2nd Militia Regiment and being entrusted with the important task of overseeing the Giant Elephant Mountain mining base!
Ah Zu sat in the center, raising his glass high as well, a smile on his face, but not much excitement.

If it's not absolutely necessary, let whoever wants to be the governor do it, as long as they don't get in my way.

But with my current strength and status, I can't keep a low profile or not take that position!

They want to keep a low profile, but their abilities simply don't allow it!
Amidst the clinking of glasses and several rounds of drinks, once the excitement had subsided somewhat, Ah Zu stood up and calmly remarked, "The last time everyone was this gathered was last Christmas. And this year's Huamei has even more people than last year!"

"Christmas is just around the corner this year. Since it's almost the end of the year, let's take a look back at the year."

At Azu's prompting, Daisy took out an account book from her purse and reported to everyone present: "Our company's two main profitable businesses this year are penicillin."

"This year, we produced a total of 900,000 vials of penicillin. Of these, only 10,000 vials were released to the market at a factory price of $100 to test efficacy and market response; 100,000 vials were supplied to churches at a price of $70; 200,000 vials were supplied to churches at a price of $24 in the last two months; and the remaining 590,000 vials were wholesaled to distributors at a price of $30."

"Our total revenue from penicillin this year is $30.5 million!!!"

"Wow... Oh My God!" Upon hearing this number, everyone's eyes widened in utter shock.

Daisy continued, "The company's other profitable business is the mining base in Giant Elephant Mountain."

"Since gold mining began in early April, after more than eight months of extraction, the Giant Elephant Mountain mining site has produced a total of 1,688,213 ounces of gold, equivalent to US$35.5 million!!!"

Oh my God!

This time, everyone was undoubtedly even more shocked!

Daisy, still holding the ledger, continued, "Besides these two most profitable main industries, our company also has a machinery factory, an arms factory, a shipyard, a metallurgical plant, a textile mill, a garment factory, a trading company, a shipping company, a hotel business, a real estate company, East West Bank, a mining company, and the newly built chemical plant, and all other industries...!"

"These industries generated a total annual revenue of $66.7 million...!"

"Oh my God... Oh my God, did I hear that right? These industries are more profitable than penicillin and gold mining?"

Daisy looked up and smiled slightly: "Of this 66 million US dollars, half of it was from the stockpiling of various supplies that the BOSS started arranging last year. This year, while continuing to import goods in large quantities, he also began to ship them out in large quantities. Given the current soaring prices of various supplies, he has earned at least twice the net profit!"

"Wow... Boss, your vision is really far ahead!"

"You knew to start stockpiling supplies last year, how could you have known that prices would definitely skyrocket this year?"

Faced with everyone's questions, Azu smiled slightly: "Isn't this simple? California has a limited population and resources. When gold prospectors and adventurers from all over the world flock here, it will inevitably cause a shortage of supplies."

"Furthermore, the gold prospectors had large quantities of gold on hand, creating an oversupply of dollars under the gold standard. With this imbalance, it would be strange if prices didn't skyrocket!"

"I see!"

Scholars like Zuo Zongtang seemed to understand a lot and fell into deep thought.

Those with limited education, like Harley and Feng Zicai, wouldn't understand even if Ah Zu explained it to them. They just thought their boss was incredibly amazing and awesome!

"Little Daisy, you continue."

"Okay, BOSS!"

Daisy picked up the ledger again and continued, "So, in 1850, our total revenue for the entire year of Huamei reached one hundred and thirty-two million seven hundred thousand US dollars!"

Upon hearing this number, no one cheered or jumped for joy anymore.

Daisy continued, "This is the total income for the year. Below is a detailed report of the total expenditures…!"

Azu interrupted her, saying, "Little Daisy, don't go into details. Just tell me the important things."

“Yes, Boss!” Daisy read aloud from the ledger: “For the entire year of 1850, Huamei’s total expenditure was $78.66 million!”

"Therefore, our company's total profit surplus for this year is $54.04 million!!!"

"Of these expenses, about one-third are salary expenses. The company now has more than 33,000 employees, with an average salary of $70 per person."

"The remaining third is fixed asset investment, such as building new arsenals and chemical plants, excavating new shipyards, constructing headquarters buildings, investing in new equipment, and so on."

“Another third is for other expenses, such as public relations expenses…!” As she said this, Daisy couldn’t help but steal a glance at Azu. She was still heartbroken about having spent two or three million dollars for nothing.

"Other expenses include various public welfare expenditures for different Native American tribes, such as food and arms aid, and vaccination of all Native Americans against smallpox...!"

Vivian suddenly interjected, "It's not entirely a public welfare expenditure. In the twelve model villages we've already built, there are now over a thousand Native American women from various tribes...!"

"Hehe!" Vivian suddenly chimed in with a mischievous laugh, "Those quick and fertile women have already gotten quite a few pregnant with Chinese babies... Don't you agree, Sister Youma?"

"Hmm...!" In front of so many people, Yuma simply nodded shyly, without uttering a single extra word.

"Cough cough...!" Azu sensed that Vivian's words were implying that his marksmanship was not good enough?
I've been working hard with several girls every day, but none of them have gotten pregnant?

Why is this?
Azu quickly coughed twice and continued, "Don't interrupt, Daisy, you go on!"

"Okay, BOSS!"

Daisy continued, holding the ledger, "And there are the twelve model villages we have built, which have resettled more than 12,000 Chinese people and more than 1,000 Native American women."

“These 14,000 villagers in the model village, although not formal employees of the company, require the purchase of millions of acres of land in the Central Valley, village construction and living supplies, production materials, firearms and ammunition, etc., which are all huge expenses.”

"There is also free basic medical care, such as universal vaccination, and the monthly free food rations provided to them for the first year, which is also a considerable expense."

Azu nodded: "We want long-term development, and these are necessary expenses... Anything else?"

Daisy added, "Of course, there's more. Our company is getting more and more ships. At least one or two new ships are launched every month. The shipping company now has more than 160 ships, with a total tonnage of over 110,000 tons, and it's still increasing every month."

"But these new ships mainly run the Far East route, and their main task is to transport Chinese laborers. The tea and grain they are currently transporting don't bring much profit, apart from the company's own consumption... Boss, shouldn't you think of a solution?"

(End of this chapter)