North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 154 How many rounds can it last?

"General Jin, I wonder what I can do for you since you've come all this way?"

"Aren't you asking knowingly?"

General Paparo King said irritably, "The last time I wanted to visit your shipyard, that idiot George ruined it."

"This time, of course, we've also come to visit your shipyard!"

"Moreover, it's not just our Pacific Fleet, but the Navy Department representing the entire United States Navy, inspecting your shipyard and that revolutionary new high-speed steamship!"

As he spoke, Brigadier General Paparo Kim shifted his body slightly to make way for a naval captain behind him.

"This is Colonel Griffin of the Navy Department. He came all the way from Washington to inspect the China Shipbuilding Plant."

"Welcome, Colonel Griffin!" Azu and the robust Colonel Griffin shook hands warmly.

Colonel Griffin asked rather bluntly, "Governor, can your new steamship really reach speeds of over twenty-eight knots?"

"Even though the Navy received Brigadier General Paparo King's detailed report, most people couldn't believe it. Without witnessing it firsthand, even I would find it hard to believe!"

Azu smiled and said, "Colonel Griffin, I guarantee you will have the opportunity to witness it with your own eyes!"

Seeing the young Chinese governor speak with such confidence, Colonel Griffin couldn't help but feel more confident himself.

“Governor, if your new steamship can reach speeds of over 28 knots, I guarantee that the Navy will make large-scale, long-term purchases.”

"This new type of high-speed steamship will not only be used to equip the Pacific Fleet, but also the Home Fleet, Far East Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet and Africa Fleet."

"After all, this revolutionary high-speed steamship has irreplaceable strategic and tactical significance."
-
On the day of the swearing-in ceremony, in addition to Azu becoming the first governor of California, Edgar Allan Poe was sworn in as the first official speaker of the California Senate, and Zuo Zongtang was sworn in as the first official speaker of the California House of Representatives.

On the day he was sworn in, Azr issued a series of decrees.

First, he reorganized the California militia into the California National Guard, personally serving as its commander, and appointed Feng Zicai and Shi Dakai as the commanders of two National Guard brigades, respectively.

The second act was to establish the California Maritime National Guard, or California Coast Guard for short, with San Francisco Mayor Vic Moore serving as its first commander.

The third act was to appoint Victoria Benjamin as the State Attorney General.

The fourth decree established the California National Guard's Independent Artillery Regiment and Independent Cavalry Regiment. The first commander of the Artillery Regiment was Martinez, the recently retired State Attorney General, and the first commander of the Independent Cavalry Regiment was Yuma.

The fifth act was the signing and promulgation of the Indian Affirmative Action Act, which had just been passed by the state legislature and granted nearly equal citizenship to more than 100,000 Native Americans in California.

Article Six establishes the California State Department. The State Department reports directly to the Governor and is responsible for coordinating all government affairs across California. Its officials include Edgar Allan Poe, Zuo Zongtang, Vivian, Victoria, Daisy, Monica, Peter Parker, Fu Shanxiang, and Wu Qingfeng.

The nine-member government administration is responsible for personnel, oversight, finance, public relations, healthcare, education, and taxation across California, effectively concentrating almost all of California's administrative power in the hands of the government administration headed by the governor.

Moreover, this administrative office and the secretariat of Huamei Industrial Company almost completely overlapped, effectively integrating California administrative affairs with Huamei Company's affairs.

That evening, The Standard and other major California newspapers published extra editions detailing the series of major moves made by California's first governor on his inauguration day.

Late at night, at Chief Justice Burnett's residence, several disillusioned individuals gathered.

Wilson, the Whig leader, and Ansel, the Democratic leader, who ran against Azuma for the first governorship of California, not only suffered a crushing defeat in the gubernatorial election, but also lost their seats as state legislators.

In comparison, although DeSantis is still just an insignificant senior San Francisco councilman, he at least has a place in the political arena.

The people in the study were looking at the extra edition of the newspaper in their hands, their expressions growing increasingly gloomy.

"Boom...!"

Wilson slammed the extra edition on his desk, cursing furiously, "That damned Chinaman, converting the California militia into the National Guard and making himself the commander is one thing, but why did he appoint two Chinamen as brigade commanders?"

"This means that the entire military force of California is completely in the hands of these Chinese. How dare he do this?!"

"Heh...!" De Sandis sneered, "Wilson, haven't you seen it through this election yet?"

"What do you see?" Wilson countered.

DeSantis gritted his teeth and said, "This Chinese guy who's only been in San Francisco for a little over a year has actually gotten more than 70% of the vote! He's now the undisputed king of California!"

“That reckless guy George Phillips is completely gone! Now, no one in all of California can challenge his position!”

"He has the support of the vast majority of voters, complete control of executive power, and his people also hold a majority in the state legislature. The state police department and the state attorney general's office are also under his control. Not to mention the military forces he commands!"

"So, he can still do whatever he wants right now?"

De Sandis continued, "What's the point of appointing two Chinese as brigade commanders of the National Guard!"

"This Victoria Benjamin, if I remember correctly, this woman is a remnant of the Benjamin family, who killed many members of the Cameron family and was once a wanted criminal...!"

"His unabashed decision to appoint a woman who had once been wanted by the police as the head of the California Attorney General's Office is enough to demonstrate just how unscrupulous he is!"

Chief Justice Burnett also pointed to a name in the extra edition: "The commander of this Independent Cavalry Regiment, Yorma, the name sounds like an Indian to me?"

Ansel nodded firmly: "As far as I know, this Yuma is a complete Native American, and a beautiful Blackfoot woman at that!"

"What's most hateful isn't making an Indian woman the commander of a cavalry regiment, but this Indian Rights Act!"

"This law gave those Native Americans almost full civil rights! Do you know what that means?"

“What does that mean?” Wilson pressed.

"This means that Native Americans will have their own land, their own property, and the ability to participate in and be elected... From now on, we can no longer drive out and kill Native Americans on California soil... Otherwise, we are committing a crime!"

"Alas...!" Ansel lamented, "With over a hundred thousand Native Americans in California, once they participate in elections, coupled with the increasing number of Chinamen, it will be virtually impossible for us white people to have any chance of rising to prominence in California!!!"

As they spoke, Ansel and the others finally focused their gazes on Burnett: "Chief Justice, it seems that all our hopes now rest on you!"

“Mr. Burnett, you are now the only person in our California Freemasons who still holds real power!”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Burnett felt deeply apprehensive and overwhelmed by the pressure.

"No, no, no...!" Burnett quickly waved his hands and said with a wry smile, "You all know that I'm no match for that Chinese guy! Not only do I have no way to deal with him, but even if I did, you might as well just shoot me in the head!"

“No, no, no!” De Sandis shook his head. “Chief Justice, you’ve misunderstood us!”

"Given the current extremely dire situation, you not only cannot challenge that Chinaman, but you should also try your best to get along with him peacefully, at least keeping to your own interests. Protect yourself well and hold onto this position as Chief Justice!"

"Only by holding onto this position as Chief Justice can we have any hope of turning the tide in the future!"

"Heh...!" Burnett chuckled bitterly, "A chance to turn things around? Sorry, I see absolutely no hope! That guy is just too strong!"

"No, there must still be hope!"

De Sandis replied with unwavering certainty: "As far as I know, the headquarters has already taken significant action to deal with this damned Chinaman."

"What big move?" Burnett asked eagerly.

Having not met with that person for a long time, and without any decent intelligence to offer, Burnett grew increasingly uneasy, feeling his position as Chief Justice becoming more and more precarious. But to his disappointment, de Sandis slowly shook his head: "I only know that the headquarters has always been making big moves, but I have no idea what they are! But I'm certain of one thing: there are definitely people from the headquarters in San Francisco right now."

"For some reason, the people who always come have never made any contact with our California Freemasons."

De Sandis said somberly, "Perhaps the Freemasons simply don't trust us in California! So they just do as they please."

"Will the General Council act on its own?" Burnett hesitated. "Then what exactly does the General Council want to do?"

De Sandis replied, "Although I don't know who they are or what they plan to do, their ultimate goal must be the same as ours."

Burnett pressed on, "Kill that damn Chinaman?"

"I think this is just one of the goals! Taking down that Chinese guy is not the ultimate goal. Huamei Company's penicillin, as well as countless gold and wealth, are the only lucrative targets worthy of the president's personal intervention."
-
Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor of the "Ohara Cotton Shop," Tony Ohara, his sister Susan Ohara, and two attendants were also gathered.

Tony O'Hara put down the extra edition and smiled, saying, "It seems that our young first governor is eager to put his ideas into practice as soon as he takes office."

"Whether it's appointing a Chinese person as the brigade commander of the National Guard, appointing a woman who was once wanted as the state attorney general, or appointing an Indian woman as the commander of an independent cavalry regiment, these are all absolutely defying public opinion and pushing the limits of everyone's understanding!"

"Hehe!" Susan O'Hara chuckled sweetly. "Isn't this overly young Chinese governor a bit too impatient and arrogant? Does he really think that there's no force in all of California capable of resisting him?"

Tony nodded calmly: "That's right! In all of California, there really is no force capable of resisting him!"

"But we're still here, aren't we?"

Susan pouted slightly at her cherry lips: "Us? We've only been here for half a month. Although progress has been quite smooth, we're still a long way from our goal!"

“Especially since you, Tony, won’t let us make contact with local organizations, we have absolutely no power we can rely on.”

In response to Susan's question, Tony picked up a glass of his family's homemade Golden Peach wine, smelled its sweet peach aroma, and took a small sip.

Then he replied, "According to the intelligence provided by that idiot Nicholson, that Chinese guy definitely has spies planted in the Southwest Command of the Army and in the Freemasons of California."

"How can we dare to utilize local organizations under these circumstances?"

At this point, Tony changed the subject: "However, we could try to make contact with that chief of staff."

"You mean Colonel Wharton?" Susan countered.

Tony nodded slightly: "Chief of Staff Walton was a member recommended to join the organization by Brigadier General George and Nicholson."

"We can question George and Nicholson's abilities, but we must never doubt their loyalty!"

"If Colonel Wharton can be jointly recommended to join the organization by these two, then he must be someone who can be trusted."

"This colonel is in a very crucial position. If we can get his help, our mission will definitely take a big step forward."

"Right now, the chief of staff happens to be in San Francisco, in a luxury suite at the Rosewood Hotel."

As he spoke, Tony turned his gaze to one of his short, stocky followers and said in a deep voice, "Klaus, you disguised yourself and tried to make contact with this colonel."

“No problem!” Klaus, short and stocky, stood up and replied.

Tony instructed in a deep voice, "Even if we are to meet with that colonel, we must not expose ourselves, and even more importantly, we must not expose our Ohara Cotton Trading Company!"

"If we are exposed, all our previous arrangements and efforts will be wasted! And it will be very difficult for us to escape California alive."

"Master, please rest assured!" Klaus said confidently, "We have never revealed our true colors to outsiders. Even if we did, it would absolutely not implicate the business."

“Excellent!” Tony had absolute confidence in his men: “Go! If you can persuade that colonel to assassinate that Chinese guy, that would be even better.”

"Okay, I understand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Klaus disappeared into the shadows of the room.

After Klaus disappeared, Tony turned to another tall follower and said, "Sean, tonight, while they're still immersed in the celebration, could you try to disguise yourself and sneak into the Huamei headquarters?"

"As you wish!" The tall Sean slowly stood up, his joints cracking, and he suddenly appeared two inches shorter.

Sean, who was originally quite tall, now looks like he's of average height and not very noticeable.

“Sean…!” Tony continued, “You’ll infiltrate here this time, act according to the situation, and gather as much intelligence as possible to prepare for our subsequent operations.”

"Heh!" Sean chuckled softly. "A very simple task. If I happen to run into that Chinese guy, wouldn't that be...!"

As he spoke, Sean gently rubbed his neck.

"Don't make any rash moves!" Tony interrupted him. "According to Nicholson's intelligence, that Chinese guy is always surrounded by skilled bodyguards. Assassinating him will definitely not be easy."

"A master, huh...!" Sean sneered dismissively.

Tony frowned slightly: "What? Sir Sean, do you think you're much better than Nicholson?"

“Nicholson may have escaped alive, but he’s now a complete cripple! Do you want to end up like him? Or even worse?”

"Uh...!" Sean finally dropped all his contempt: "I'm sorry, Master! I will definitely not let you down."

"Very well, let's go!"

Once Sean had disappeared into the shadows, Tony raised his glass and gently clinked it against Susan's.

"Susan, my dear sister, now, finally no one will bother us!"

"Hehe...!" Susan slowly got up and gracefully took off her half-hidden silk nightgown.

"Master, I hope you can give me a chance to fully demonstrate my skills...!"

Facing Susan, whose skin was smoother and shinier than silk, so close to him, Tony swallowed hard.

“Susan, I hope you don’t misunderstand…!” Tony slowly stood up and picked Susan up in his arms. “I’m testing your ability to complete this mission…!”

"As everyone knows, that damn Chinaman is a very lecherous guy."

“There are already no fewer than five or six stunning beauties around him.”

"Susan, when the time is right, we need you to unleash your unparalleled charm and snag that Chinaman in one fell swoop...!"

Tony, with Susan's alluring eyes swirling in his arms, walked into his bedroom as he spoke.

“Susan, you are our ultimate trump card for this mission… Therefore, I must have the deepest and most thorough understanding of your ability to complete the task… Do you understand?”

"Hehe... Dear brother, are you sure you have the ability to let me show you my full power...?"

"That glamorous purchasing manager from a few days ago, she didn't even get to finish one round with me...hehe!"

"Oh, my dear sister, don't compare me to those filthy Chinamen...!"

(End of this chapter)