North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 252 Those Damn Brits
"Huh...!" Upon seeing the person clearly, Azu was taken aback: "President Lincoln...you, why have you come in person?"

Lincoln, seated at the head of all the guests, smiled at Azu and silently mouthed, "Li, this is my wedding surprise for you...!"

Azu saw Lincoln's lip movements clearly, smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more. Instead, he turned around to face Cardinal Evan, who was officiating at the wedding.

……

After a lengthy wedding ceremony, Cardinal Evan, with a smile, asked at the end, "Groom, do you take this woman to be your lawful wife...?"

"From this day forward, in good times and in bad, in wealth and in poverty, in health and in sickness, I will cherish her with love and love, and never abandon her until the end of my life?"

"I do...!"

Ah Zu and dozens of grooms simultaneously made their vows.

"Bride, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband...?"

"From this day forward, in good times and in bad, in wealth and in poverty, in health and in sickness, I will cherish and love him, and never abandon him, until the end of my life?"

"I do...!"

Many more brides also recited their vows at the same time.

"I hereby declare that you are now a legally married couple!"

……

"Splash...smack smack smack...!"

The huge auditorium was immediately filled with thunderous applause and cheers!

Countless petals and ribbons suddenly fell from the roof of the auditorium...!
At the same time, the massive fleet docked at the pier roared with hundreds of cannons, creating a deafening chorus of salutes!
At San Francisco's Civic Square, twenty-eight cannons simultaneously unleashed a continuous barrage of fire!

At the same time, a long and loud whistle sounded from all of Huamei Company's factories and industries!
The whole of San Francisco was cheering and celebrating...!
Everyone is celebrating this unprecedented moment in their own way…!
……

After a long day, as night fell and all the ceremonies and celebrations had just come to an end, Ah Zu did not rush back to the bridal chamber. Instead, she met with Lincoln, who had come from afar, alone in her small study.

"Ding……!"

Azu and Lincoln's crystal wine glasses clinked heavily in mid-air.

"Li, although you've probably heard this countless times today, I still want to congratulate you again for marrying six brides at once... You are definitely the first in American history... and probably the last...!"

Lincoln smiled and raised his glass to offer his sincere congratulations to Azu.

Azu smiled and said, "President, you flatter me! For us Chinese, marrying six brides at once is nothing new. But on this land, it is indeed quite astonishing!"

Lincoln smiled and shook his head: "American law does not stipulate that one cannot have multiple wives, so your actions do not violate any laws. Monogamy is more of a constraint of religious belief than a legal bottom line."

"I believe that the vast majority of men would envy you!"

Lincoln continued to shake his head: "Unfortunately, we are believers in my Lord and cannot betray our faith...!"

“Let’s not talk about that…!” Azu changed the subject, saying, “Mr. President, what brings you to California all of a sudden?”

“Mr. President, you are extremely busy with many affairs of state. If it is just to celebrate my wedding, I believe that sending a representative would be enough, and there is no need for you to come here in person.”

Lincoln nodded and said, "My main purpose in coming to California this time is, of course, to attend your wedding!"

"As a staunch ally of yours, and the wedding of the Republican Party's biggest donor, I should definitely be there!"

"Of course, that's not the whole purpose...!"

Lincoln continued, "I was elected the Republican presidential nominee in May. I will run for president in November."

“Since May, I have been touring the country giving speeches to garner votes for the election.”

Ah Zu laughed and said, "So, the President came to California to campaign for votes!"

"That's one of our goals!" Lincoln stated bluntly. "Although California has only recently joined the United States, it still has five electoral votes!"

(Electoral votes are the sum of a state's senators and representatives. Each state has two senators and one representative based on its population. California has two senators and three representatives, so it has five electoral votes.)
“There are other states in the West, each with its own electoral votes, so I had to make this trip in person.”

Azu replied, "These five electoral votes from California will definitely be yours, Mr. President, without you needing to make a special trip!"

Lincoln nodded with a smile: "Of course I know that, and I have absolute confidence in it!"

"But the situation in the other western states is a bit unclear...!"

Azu asked curiously, "What does that mean...?"

After taking a sip of aged Macallan whiskey, Lincoln sighed, "A few months ago, the Indians in the western states, for some unknown reason, suddenly experienced a surge in fighting power, and battles of varying sizes broke out everywhere." "From large-scale wars involving thousands of people to small-scale battles with only a few dozen, the flames of war ignited by the Western Indians have been rising and falling...!"

"According to the reports I received, many tribes of the Western Indians possess powerful weaponry, and their combat capabilities are in no way inferior to those of the militia, or even the regular army...!"

"Alas...!" Lincoln sighed, "I don't know where these Indians got so many weapons and ammunition, causing heavy casualties to armies, militias, and civilians in various places."

"Therefore, the public opinion in the western states is now strongly demanding the election of an absolutely tough president who will use the most ruthless methods to completely wipe out the western Indian tribes!"

Azu said in a deep voice, "Isn't this absolutely tough president you?"

"Who in all of America is tougher than you?"

Lincoln shook his head sadly: "That being said, the Democratic presidential candidate, Franklin Pierce, is also trying to emphasize his toughness!"

"In particular, in order to gain the support of the slave states in the South, Franklin slandered me as a black slave and said I had black blood... This stirred up a huge wave of opposition against me in the Southern states!"

"Some southern states are even preparing to secede from the United States and form a confederation...!"

At this point, Lincoln's expression darkened further: "The main contradiction facing our America in the future is the problem of slavery in the Southern states, not the problem of Indians in the West."

“If our strength is diverted by the Indian tribes in the west, we will be unable to concentrate on dealing with the slave-owning forces in the south!”

Lincoln looked up at Azu and said, "Therefore, I must come here in person to try to resolve the issue of the Western Indians while securing the support of the western states."

Azu fully grasped Lincoln's predicament: "Mr. President, what are you planning to do? And what can I do for you?"

"Alas... Fortunately, the West has such a steadfast ally as you!" Lincoln sighed. "Of all the West, your California is the most stable and prosperous, having almost completely and thoroughly resolved the Native American problem!"

"What I need to do first is to cut off the Native Americans' source of weapons!"

As he spoke, Lincoln stared intently at Azu and asked, "Li, do you know where this sudden influx of weapons came from?"

Azu thought for a moment and replied, "I did receive some unverified rumors...!"

"What news?" Lincoln quickly asked.

Azu said, "The British Empire, through its Canadian colonies, provided the Indigenous peoples with large quantities of weapons and ammunition!"

"The Englishman?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow; this answer was exactly what he expected. "Lee, do you have any evidence?"

Azu replied, “Mr. President, you should know that I get along well with some Native American tribes in California, and there have been almost no conflicts.”

“Just a few months ago, more than one tribal chief came to me and conveyed a message to me.”

"what news?"

"The British secretly approached these Native American tribes, offering to provide them with weapons and ammunition free of charge, in exchange for their resistance against American rule...!"

"Bang!!" Lincoln slammed his glass heavily on the table. "These Englishmen, why are they doing this? What's their purpose?"

"Heh...!" Azu sneered, "Do they need a purpose to do this?"

President Lincoln pondered for a long time before finally having to admit: "Those damned British don't really need any specific purpose as long as they can destabilize America!"

Azu nodded emphatically: "As long as they can disgust the Americans, the British will be very happy and satisfied!"

“You’re right!” Lincoln changed the subject, “Lee, since it was the British who did it, do you have any way to cut off their arms supply lines?”

Azu thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "The border between the United States and Canada is just too long, making it impossible to defend against! Moreover, the western coastline is also so long that British warships and merchant ships can dock at any coast and transport weapons and ammunition."

"It's extremely difficult to completely cut off the Native Americans' supply of weapons!"

Azu continued, "Furthermore, I am only the governor of California and have no law enforcement authority to interfere in the affairs of other states."

President Lincoln said in a deep voice, "Regarding law enforcement powers, I can grant them to you!"

"Throughout the West, America's strength was so weak! The entire Western garrison numbered less than 30,000, which was simply insufficient to deal with millions of Native Americans."

"Not to mention the shameless tricks of the British in smuggling weapons!"

As he spoke, Lincoln turned his gaze to Azu: "Lee, thankfully, the West still has you!"

"I must rely on your strength to stabilize the situation in the entire West!"

"Then I can deal with those damn Southerners in peace!"

(End of this chapter)