North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 158 Becoming a Socialite

Brigadier General Paparo Kim is definitely a decisive and reliable old man!
Shortly after leading the naval delegation to conclude its inspection of the Huamei Shipyard, he personally arranged for a group of veteran naval officers nearing retirement to retire from their various posts in the Pacific Fleet.

These experienced and highly qualified naval officers include: some are operations staff officers and training staff officers at headquarters; some are captains of frigates and patrol vessels; some are first officers and second officers on various warships; and some are gunnery officers, bosuns, and navigation officers on various types of warships...!
What's most remarkable is that this group of senior retired officers not only numbers over forty, but also has a full complement of personnel in all positions within the Navy.

With utmost speed and sincerity, Azu rehired all these retired naval officers to the California Maritime National Guard.

These retired naval officers are generally older and most are no longer suitable for frontline combat.

But Azu still paid these retired naval officers at least twice their usual salary.

Moreover, in order to accommodate this group of rare talents, Azu established the California Coast Guard School in addition to the California National Guard Officer School.

Azu personally served as the principal of the Coast Guard school, and Coast Guard Commander Vic served as the executive vice principal. This group of recently retired naval officers transformed into instructors at the California Coast Guard school.

Azu and the newly appointed Vic personally selected the first batch of more than 300 young people from the National Guard and Hua Mei High School who were clean-cut, highly educated, and had the strongest learning abilities.

These 300-plus young people were all sent to the newly established California Coast Guard School, becoming the first batch of officer cadets for the California Coast Guard.

These are just the first batch of students at the Coast Guard Academy. Every six months thereafter, a public examination will be held to select officer cadets, ensuring the long-term operation of the newly established California Coast Guard Academy.

Among this group of middle-aged men in their forties and fifties who had retired, Ah Zu also discovered a strange acquaintance!

That's Captain Klein Perry of the Naval Fortress Garrison, the notorious playboy!
In the principal's office at the Coast Guard Academy, Azu personally received this oddball who was mixed in with a group of old men.

"Hi, BOSS!"

Klein, being the outgoing guy he is, greeted everyone very warmly as soon as he entered: "My dear BOSS, from now on I'm completely working for you! You'd better look after me!"

"You damned bastard...!" Azu laughed and cursed, "General Jin arranged for a bunch of old men to retire early, and you, a young man in your twenties, are just following along and making a fool of yourself?"

"Hehe!" Klein rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Boss, the salary the Navy pays me is far from enough! If I don't work with you and make some money, I'll go bankrupt sooner or later."

"Huh!" Azu exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't we just give you a full $50,000 a few months ago? You've spent it all so quickly?"

"Hehe, that's not that bad!" Klein continued with a smirk. "That's fifty thousand dollars! That's almost enough to buy a 500-ton armored patrol ship. Even if I could spend money like water, I wouldn't be able to spend it all in a few months!"

A hint of smugness flashed across Klein's handsome face: "But... it's almost all spent!"

"Tsk tsk tsk...!" Azu couldn't help but exclaim, "Even I've heard that you've been living a life of debauchery these days, making quite a name for yourself in the red-light districts of San Francisco."

"Now, which pretty girl in San Francisco doesn't know your name, Klein?"

Klein looked smug: "Anyway, Boss, from now on I'll have to follow you!"

Azu hesitated and said, "You have a father who's a general, and another general protecting you. You have a bright future in the navy. Are you really willing to be a coast guard?"

"What's the difference between the Navy and the Coast Guard? I'll work for whoever pays the most!"

Klein said nonchalantly, "Boss, not only do you offer a lot of money, but the Coast Guard has just been established and is desperately short of manpower. Joining the Coast Guard now might be the best opportunity I've ever had, right?"

Azu thought for a moment: "Does your father know about this?"

"That old man is still in the Far East, ignore him!" Klein said. "Boss, I'm one of yours now, what are you going to do with me?"

Azu pondered for a moment: "Right now, the Coast Guard's ships are still under construction and the personnel are still being trained. You're too young to be an instructor at the Coast Guard Academy."

"Besides, I'm worried that you'll corrupt all my officer cadets!"

“How could that be!” Klein patted his chest and assured him, “I’m a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy! If I went to the Coast Guard Academy, I would definitely be an excellent instructor.”

"You're not cut out to be an instructor!"

Azu shook his head and pondered for a moment before asking, "Klein, I have a question for you!"

"Boss, feel free to ask me any questions."

Azu said, "As the son of a naval admiral, will you be able to get along well in the East, in Washington?"

Klein's frivolous smile vanished: "Boss, you mean...?"

Ah Zu said, "Your personality is best suited to be a charming and sophisticated social butterfly."

"In Washington, where various forces are entangled, with your personality and the fact that you are the general's own son, you should be able to navigate between them and get along quite well."

“Huh…?” Klein was taken aback. “Boss, you want to send me to Washington?”

Azu nodded: "Now that California has its first formal government and legislature after the official election, it should also set up its own office in Washington!"

Azu stared at Klein: "Klein, I can't think of anyone more suitable for the position of director of this office than you!"

"Major Klein Perry, Coast Guard Commander, Chief of the California State Office in Washington, D.C."

Given Azu's current status and strength, promoting Klein to major would be a simple matter of a word.

Azu looked at him with a smile: "How about this title? My dear Major Klein?"

At this moment, Klein felt completely dazed!
"Boss... I made a huge decision to leave the Navy and join you, and in the end, you sent Washington to his doom...!"

Azu laughed and said, "What? Washington, the capital of America. Others want to go but can't, don't you want to go to the capital?"

"Don't tell me you can't bear to part with those pretty girls in San Francisco?"

"Hehe...!" Klein chuckled awkwardly, "Boss, you don't know, those girls, they're really moisturized...!"

"The girls in Washington are even more radiant...!"

Ah Zu said, "In Washington, you represent the entire state of California, and you represent me and Huamei Industries!"

"Those guys in Washington, whether it's for penicillin, high-speed steamships, revolutionary firearms... or whatever else... just think how many of them would be eager to befriend you? To curry favor with you?"

"Wouldn't this provide you with ample opportunities for romance? And all of a free!"

Under Azu's guidance, countless beautiful images immediately appeared in Klein's mind...!
"Boss, are you really going to send me to Washington?" Klein asked to confirm.

“Yes!” Azu nodded. “In Washington, we need California’s voice! Klein, you’re going there representing all of California, representing me and Huamei Corporation!”

"All of California is backing you up, so you must stand tall!"

Ah Zu cautioned, "But you must never say what you shouldn't say. You must never make promises you can't keep!"

"Just remember the most crucial point... cultivate relationships with all the powerful and influential people, and do everything in your power to secure benefits for California!"

Klein's mind gradually processed what was happening: "Boss, after hearing what you're saying, I feel like I might actually be capable of handling this task!"

Azu added, "And the Freemasons... those guys are trying every possible way to deal with me, to deal with the whole of California."

"After you go to Washington, gathering intelligence on the Freemasons will also be one of your main tasks!"

“I understand!” Klein nodded solemnly.

Klein was a witness to the last time the Freemasons manipulated Brigadier General George Phillips to sow discord between the Pacific Fleet and China Industries.

Therefore, Klein's expression immediately became extremely serious whenever Freemasonry was mentioned.

Azu continued, "Actually, we also have allies in Washington!"

"Huh...?" Klein was taken aback upon hearing this.

"However, that ally has a special identity, so now is not the time for you to make direct contact with him."

Azu said, “When the time is right, I will arrange for you to contact that important ally directly. We will coordinate our actions while helping him take this crucial step.”

Upon hearing this, Klein became extremely curious about the identity of this "important ally." Azu continued, "Major Klein, I will send some people to assist you in setting up the Washington office as soon as possible."

“The California government also regularly allocates enough funds for you to network with those powerful people.”

Upon hearing this, Klein became even more interested: "Allocate funds? How much...?"

Azu replied, "Besides the regular salaries of all the staff in the office and all expenses, I'll allocate an additional $30,000 per month specifically for your operations. Is that enough?"

“Thirty thousand dollars… per month… tsk tsk tsk!” Klein’s handsome face instantly lit up with a smile: “Boss, I knew it, following you was definitely the right choice!”

Azu smiled and said, "Major Klein, welcome to the team!"

Klein reached out his hands and clasped them tightly with Azu's.

In the days that followed, Azu arranged for Klein to quickly familiarize himself with the entire state of California and the situation of Huamei Industrial.

At the same time, more than a dozen loyal and clever people were selected from among the internal staff and assigned to Klein as his assistants.

Just two weeks later, Klein, along with a group of assistants, boarded an ocean liner bound for Washington.
-
Meanwhile, at the Huamei headquarters shipyard.

"Hey Sean, come here...!"

Sean, who was exceptionally muscular, vigorously wiped his dirty hands, which were covered in natural asphalt, on his denim overalls, and then came running over with an incredibly憨厚 (honest and simple) trot.

"Foreman Xu, what do you need me for?"

Sean always had a very honest smile on his face. He was very hardworking and diligent, and also quite strong.

Although he was a newcomer to the shipyard, Sean was very popular among the team of more than twenty painters.

In particular, Foreman Xu had a very high opinion of this hardworking, conscientious, and quick-learning white man.

The group of more than twenty people led by Foreman Xu were responsible for applying anti-corrosion paint to the new high-speed steamship under construction.

As is well known, seawater is highly corrosive to steel, which is one of the important reasons why wooden sailboats were able to survive even after the invention of steamships.

Therefore, applying anti-corrosion paint to new high-speed steamships is of particular importance.

In this era, preventing corrosion of steel ship hulls is a common challenge faced by the whole world.

Even countries like Britain and France haven't truly solved the problem of corrosion prevention for steel ship hulls. The current method involves wrapping the steel hull with a layer of wood or copper, which barely achieves corrosion protection.

While this method is effective, it increases the ship's dead weight and slows down its speed, at a great cost.

At Azu's place, the current method mainly relies on California's abundant natural asphalt, and then adds lead-based additives to achieve basic corrosion prevention.

However, this method has poor adhesion and is prone to peeling off, requiring regular repainting and touch-up.

At Huamei's chemical plant, they are constantly researching anti-corrosion paints with better anti-corrosion effects and stronger adhesion. However, there is no hope of a completely perfect one in the short term.

Sean, who had just joined Huamei Shipyard, happened to become one of the painters, whose skills were relatively low.

The foreman, Xu, who was in his thirties, patted Sean's exceptionally broad shoulder: "I think you're a good guy, with a clean background, hardworking and reliable, quick learners, and you're also educated."

"Hehe!" Sean chuckled憨厚ly, "It's all thanks to Foreman Xu's excellent teaching."

"It's because you did a good job, kid. You don't need to flatter me!"

Foreman Xu continued, "The arsenal on Angel Island came here to select people. Although Chinese people are given priority in such an important place as an arsenal, reliable white people like you also have a chance to be selected."

Foreman Xu looked at Sean, who was covered in anti-corrosion paint, with disdain and said, "Go change your clothes and wash yourself clean. They'll be coming to pick people soon."

"If you get selected to work in the arsenal, your salary will increase significantly. Plus, you'll have more opportunities to be selected for further studies at Huamei High School."

"Hehe...!" Foreman Xu said with pride, "If you get into Huamei Middle School, you'll be truly amazing!"

"What's so special about it?" Sean asked curiously.

"Everyone who graduates from our Huamei High School can become a manager! And our boss even personally teaches classes when he has time!"

"Boss...?" Sean's eyes lit up slightly. "Could it be... the boss of our Huamei Company? That Governor Li?"

"That's right, besides him, who else would dare to call themselves the boss of Huamei Company?"

A glint of light flashed in Sean's eyes.

"Go and tidy up, what are you standing there for!"

Urged by Foreman Xu, Sean quickly changed into clean work clothes and washed off the paint.

Moments later, unsurprisingly, Sean was quickly selected by the Angel Island Armory thanks to Foreman Xu's strong recommendation.

At the Angel Island arsenal, Sean was trained and became an ordinary worker on the grenade production line.

Because of his relatively high level of education and his diligence and hard work, Sean quickly became a junior production foreman.

Under the leadership of Squad Leader Sean, his squad successfully increased the daily output of hand grenades by more than 20%.

After working at the Angel Island arsenal for a month, Sean's outstanding performance earned him the appreciation of his superiors once again, and he was recommended to become a full-time student at Huamei High School.

After undergoing extremely intensive study at Huamei High School, which takes anywhere from eight months to a year, students who pass the exams and receive their diplomas can become real management personnel at Huamei Company, or be selected to enter the California National Guard Officer School or the Maritime National Guard School to become officer cadets.

The most outstanding among them may be recommended to study at the top universities in the United States.

After entering Huamei Middle School, students are placed under full-time closed management, and their daily study time reaches more than twelve hours, day and night.

Students only have a half-day off each weekend afternoon to handle their personal matters.

On his first weekend as a student at Huamei High School, Sean left the school and walked out of the massive Huamei headquarters.

In a dark, deserted corner, Sean silently and quickly transformed into a complete stranger.

After a winding and circuitous journey, and making sure he wasn't being followed by anyone, he finally returned to the long-lost "Ohara Cotton Shop".

"Sean, how have you been these past month or so?"

Facing Tony O'Hara's sunny smile, Sean picked up the Golden Peach Wine on the table and eagerly drank it all in one gulp.

"Master, this has definitely been the most agonizing month I've ever endured since becoming a Hidden Knight!"

"What do you mean?" Tony asked with amusement. "Could it be that within Huamei Corporation, the workers are also subjected to the most brutal exploitation?"

Sean wiped his stiff face hard: "No! The work system at Huamei Company is not cruel, um... in fact, it reveals a human touch in every way."

“Human nature… Hah!” Tony and Susan laughed disdainfully at the same time.

“Yes, human nature!” Sean nodded emphatically. “Without experiencing it firsthand, you wouldn’t be able to understand the difference between Huamei Company and other capitalist factories.”

"Tch, they're all just exploiting workers, what's the difference?"

Sean didn't explain much, only saying, "The reason I'm suffering is because... I feel like I've even come to like the atmosphere at Huamei Company... It's like a huge home there, it can meet all your needs, it's full of a sense of belonging!"

"However, I must constantly remind myself of the mission and responsibility I bear!"

"I'm going to destroy it all, not build it all!"

"That's why I've felt so tormented over the past month!"

Upon hearing this, Tony's smile gradually faded.

(End of this chapter)