North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 279 The Great Patriot

Because of Fu Shanxiang's pregnancy, the entire Huamei Company, the entire San Francisco, and even the entire state of California were immersed in an atmosphere of inexplicable joy.

However, Azu decisively rejected the request from a group of high-ranking executives of Huamei to hold a large-scale public celebration.

She's only recently become pregnant, so it's far too early to celebrate.

The more grand the celebration, the greater the karmic burden this tiny fetus in the womb will bear, forced to shoulder the expectations of too many people, and endure undue pressure.

The higher you're lifted, the harder you fall—this applies to everyone.

Even if it's still a fetus in the womb!

Therefore, on this night, only Ah Zu and his family closed the door in their own yard and had a small celebration.

……

However, the next morning, Ah Zu received an unexpected guest and even more unexpected congratulations.

"Governor, I just heard the news that Ms. Fu is pregnant... Congratulations! The last problem that has been troubling California has now been solved!"

In the study, Ah Zu looked at the brigadier general sitting upright opposite him, raised his wine glass, and smiled, "Thank you very much! At the same time, I also congratulate you on your promotion to general...!"

Sitting opposite Azu was Colonel Walton, whom he hadn't seen in a long time... no, he had now been promoted to Brigadier General Walton!

Walton, dressed in a crisp military uniform with a gold star on his shoulder, smiled broadly and lightly clinked glasses with Azu.

After taking a small sip of the premium aged Macallan whisky, Walton put down his glass, glanced sideways at the dazzling gold star on his shoulder, and then gently brushed away non-existent dust from the star.

"For a soldier like me with no background or connections, to finally receive this gold star is truly hard-won!"

Walton remarked with a touch of emotion, "If it weren't for this war, if it weren't for the huge bonuses you give me every year... haha, I probably would never have become a general...!"

The distance between colonel and brigadier general is only one step, but it is an insurmountable chasm that most people cannot cross in their entire lives!

Walton continued, "No matter how outstanding my resume is, no matter how remarkable my battle achievements are, crossing this insurmountable barrier is simply beyond imagination!"

"For the past three years, I've used the dividends you give me every year to desperately cultivate relationships with high-ranking military officials... Heh, to put it nicely, I'm cultivating relationships; to put it bluntly, I'm groveling and sucking their boots!"

"Beautiful women, fine wines, antiques, famous paintings and treasures, and... gleaming gold, gleaming cash... I really can't remember how much I've given away!"

"But even though I fawned over them like this, those high and mighty military officials still looked down on me for not being senior enough and for having too humble a background...!"

Walton said with a wry smile, "If this war hadn't broken out, I don't know how much more time and money it would have taken to take this step!"

"This is the reality we have to accept!" Azu grinned and said, "In any case, you've finally taken that crucial step and reached the top!"

"General Walton, congratulations again on becoming the commander of the Southwest Command of the Army!"

"Haha...!" At this point, the gloom on Walton's face vanished, and he nodded with a smile: "Yes, I have finally taken this crucial step!"

"Because of the Civil War, former Commander Brigadier General Thomas Pebble had been ordered to fight in the East, and most of the troops under the Southwest Command were transferred with him."

"Originally there were more than 16,000 troops, but now there are less than 3,000 left. They barely left me one regiment and two cavalry battalions."

"Hehe, I, the newly promoted commander, am just a commander without any troops."

Walton raised his glass again and said, "According to the War Department, the defense of the entire West is now in your hands as the commander of the Western Theater!"

"Therefore, after being promoted to Commander of the Southwest Command, I came to you, my immediate superior, to report my thoughts and work."

Azu laughed and said, "My position as commander of the Western Theater Command is only temporary, and I may be dismissed by the President at any time."

Walton calmly shook his head: "No! The entire federal government, including Congress and the President, now relies heavily on you, Governor, and the entire state of California!"

"With California's formidable strength, it is more than capable of intimidating the entire West! If the federal government wants to focus on dealing with the Confederate States of America, it must rely on your power, Governor, to stabilize the West."

"As for our Southwest and Northwest Army Commands, they are now practically useless."

At this point, Walton couldn't help but grin: "However... in this way, the entire American West is like a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered, at your mercy, Governor!"

Ah Zu chuckled: "I don't have such ambitions, nor am I the kind of villain who would take advantage of someone's misfortune...!"

"Huh...?" Brigadier General Walton stared at Azu in surprise: "Aren't you one?"

"no!"

"really not?"

"Really not!"

Walton then gave up: "In that case, I was overthinking it!"

"I was originally planning that when Governor was preparing to launch his uprising, the Southwest Command, headed by me, would fully cooperate with and support all of Governor's actions...!"

"Oh?" Azu asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Walton smiled and replied, "Because of my status as a shareholder of Huamei Pharmaceutical Factory... albeit the smallest shareholder... and my personal relationship with the Governor, and the Southwest Command's subordinate position to the Western Theater Command...!"

"From any perspective, I should follow the governor's lead, right?"

As he spoke, Brigadier General Walton winked meaningfully at Azu.

"As far as I know, the entire state of California has accelerated its conscription training, and countless warships are under construction in numerous shipyards."

"With the governor's original 50,000 to 60,000 troops, it would have been more than enough to defend California."

"Now, accelerate conscription and shipbuilding... I can't think of any other plans the governor has besides this vast territory in the west!"

Azu remained unfazed and raised his glass slightly again to Brigadier General Walton: "As expected of a top student who graduated second in his class from West Point, as expected of a general who came from an intelligence staff background!"

"The federal government deliberately left behind two dispensable army commands in the Southwest and Northwest, along with several thousand dispensable troops. I'm afraid it's not to deal with any enemy, but to monitor my every move, isn't it?"

Faced with Azu's question, Brigadier General Walton nodded without hesitation: "That's right! Along with my promotion order, the War Department's order did indeed include a secret order to monitor you, Governor!"

Brigadier General Walton continued with a smile: "Although Mr. President, I entrust the safety of the entire West to you, Governor!"

"But within the core of power in Washington, there are still many people who have doubts about you, Governor."

"Therefore, the only purpose of my position as commander and the Southwest Command is to monitor and check you, Governor!"

At this point, Brigadier General Walton couldn't help but give a mocking smile: "Unfortunately, those high-ranking officials in Washington have no idea that even I, the commander, am actually one of Governor's men!"

"Hahaha……!"

At that moment, Azu and Brigadier General Walton laughed heartily.

"Come on, let's drink to our future!"

"Ding……!"

The two crystal wine glasses clinked together again.
-
Time flies, and the Spring Festival is just around the corner after New Year's Day in 1854.

At this annual Spring Festival celebration, Azu met a group of people he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Boss, we...we're back!"

At a grand banquet attended by hundreds of people, Azu's hands clasped tightly together with another pair of hands.

"Zou Boqi...you're finally back!"

Ah Zu held Zou Boqi's hand and said with great satisfaction, "More than three years ago, I sent you to study in the east!"

"Harvard, Yale, West Point... You thirty or so people are all young talents carefully selected by Lord Lin Zexu, and you have entered the most prestigious universities in the East to study."

"Now, have you finally graduated?"

Among this group, Zou Boqi, the oldest and most learned, exclaimed excitedly, "Boss, we've all graduated!"

"Moreover, many of us not only completed our undergraduate studies in just over three years, but also obtained our doctoral degrees!"

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Azu's face lit up with a smile: "Getting a doctorate, that couldn't be better!"

"Zou Boqi, what degree did you get?" Azu couldn't help but ask. Zou Boqi said embarrassedly, "I... hehe, I barely got a PhD in physics from Yale...!"

"Great, great! Hahaha!" Azu patted Zou Boqi on the shoulder heavily: "Completing an undergraduate degree in just over three years and getting a PhD in physics from Yale is quite remarkable!"

As he spoke, Zou Boqi introduced each of the thirty or so talented young people to Azu, explaining the schools they attended, the majors they studied, and the degrees they obtained.

Among these thirty or so people, about ten, like Zou Boqi, not only completed their undergraduate studies but also obtained doctoral degrees in their respective fields.

"As expected, these are the young talents carefully selected by Lord Lin Zexu; each and every one of them is an extraordinary person!"

After shaking hands warmly with each of the returning students, Azu couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Zou Boqi replied, "It is all thanks to your full support, boss, and your selfless assistance over the years that we have been able to focus wholeheartedly on our studies."

“We’ve done the math. Over the past few years, you’ve sponsored us with at least $100,000…that’s a full three thousand taels of gold!”

"The knowledge we've acquired and the degrees we've earned are all thanks to your hard work and dedication, boss."

Zou Boqi and the others were deeply moved and said, "Now that we have completed our studies, it is time to repay you, our boss, with all our might."

"Boss, just tell us, what do you need us to do?"

"Whatever the boss orders us to do, we'll brave any danger, no matter what!"

"Good, good, good!" Azu patted everyone's shoulders with satisfaction: "It's good that you have this intention!"

"However, there's no rush right now. You've had a long journey, so take a rest first, and we'll talk about everything after the Spring Festival."

"I'll leave everything to the boss!"

As he spoke, Zou Boqi pulled out a young man from the back of the line and introduced him to Azu, saying, "Boss, this is our senior from Yale—Rong Hong, Senior Rong!"

"He is our first Chinese student to study abroad, and he just graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts degree!"

"Because he admires your reputation, he traveled all the way to California with us to pay you a visit!"

Is this Yung Wing?

Ah Zu carefully examined the tall, handsome, and dashing young man in front of him.

In later generations, many major historical events in modern times were closely related to Yung Wing.

He participated in the establishment of the Jiangnan Arsenal, the first Western-style enterprise in history.
The rise of the Self-Strengthening Movement was also strongly promoted by him;
He personally oversaw the sending of young students to study in the United States.
Actively participate in the Hundred Days' Reform;
After the failure of the Reform Movement, he actively participated in the revolutionary movement and was even once nominated as the president after the success of the revolution. However, he himself gave up the position to Sun Yat-sen.
While overseas, he actively raised funds and resources for the revolution, trained armed forces, and fully supported the revolution in China!
Unfortunately, Yung Wing died in America shortly after the revolution's success.

……

It can be said that this spirited young man in front of us, to a certain extent, personally propelled modern history forward.

He was a great patriot who made significant contributions to the modernization of his motherland!

Throughout his life, he toiled tirelessly to free his increasingly impoverished and weak motherland from its fate of poverty and weakness!
……

After recalling the historical journey of the young man before him, Azu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He took two steps forward and tightly grasped Rong Hong's large hands.

“Mr. Yung Wing, I’ve heard of you before! I know you were our country’s first student to study abroad!”

Ah Zu continued, "Mr. Yung Wing, welcome to California!"

"Make yourself at home here, don't be shy or stand on ceremony!"

Yung Wing seemed slightly uncomfortable with the sudden enthusiasm from this Chinese governor whom he had long admired.

What's even more unsettling is that this legendary governor is so young, so approachable, and so affable!

“Governor, I, Yung Wing, am but a humble student, and I am utterly unworthy of such a generous treat from you!”

"Hahaha!" Azu held his hand and patted his arm, saying quite affectionately, "I just told you not to be so polite, but look at you, you're still being polite with me."

Yung Wing looked at the governor, who was two years younger than him, and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

No wonder they achieved such great success in just four or five years.

His magnanimous spirit of respecting and employing talent without being bound by convention deserves his rise to prominence!

"Come on, come on!"

With his left hand holding Rong Hong and his right hand holding Zou Boqi, Azu walked to the main table of the banquet and pressed them down to sit on either side of him.

Rong Hong and Zou Boqi's buttocks, which had just touched the chairs, immediately bounced up as if they had been scorched by fire.

"No, no... Who are we to dare sit at the head table... let alone to your left and right...!"

Ah Zu patted their shoulders and laughed, "I told you to sit, so sit down obediently!"

"I don't have that many rules here!"

"You have traveled thousands of miles to study, which is no easy feat."

"Now that you have returned after completing your studies, it is time to celebrate!"

"There's no time like the present! Let's take this opportunity to congratulate you all on your successful completion of your studies!"

With that, Azu raised his glass high first.

"Congratulations on your successful completion of your studies!"

Edgar Allan Poe, Zuo Zongtang, and hundreds of others almost simultaneously raised their glasses to congratulate the students who had returned from their studies.

The scene, the atmosphere, the glory...!
Including Zou Boqi and Rong Hong, about thirty students who had returned after completing their studies were all moved to tears!

At this moment, they were destined to become one of them, and it was impossible for them to part with it!

……

After the Spring Festival holiday, these thirty or so students who had completed their studies and returned home were all assigned to their respective jobs and arrangements.

Yung Wing was assigned to be Zuo Zongtang's secretary, assisting Governor-General Panama in all matters. He would be of great use once he became proficient in government affairs.

Zou Boqi and more than a dozen other students who were keen on research were assigned to the newly established California Institute for Advanced Study to specialize in their respective research topics.

Azu was also very tolerant of their research directions, allowing them to study the areas that interested them most.

In particular, Zou Boqi, the newly minted PhD in physics, was very interested in the emerging fields of electricity, electrical engineering, and radio.

So, Azu arranged for him to specialize in researching generators, wireless telegraphs, telephones, electric motors, and so on.

In the coming decades, the Second Industrial Revolution, namely the Electrical Revolution, is about to begin, so Zou Boqi's research is extremely important.

Whoever can be the first to apply generators and electric motors to the industrial field will hold the key to unlocking the future.

For a nation with an ever-expanding territory in the future, communication methods such as wireless telegraph and telephone will be even more crucial.

Without advanced communication methods, it is simply unimaginable how to manage and control a country with such a vast territory.

Therefore, not only did Zou Boqi devote himself wholeheartedly to the research, but Azu also provided him with a fairly strong team.

Whether it's a University of California professor with theoretical knowledge or a mechanical engineer with practical knowledge, Azu has assembled a research team of more than thirty people, covering almost every aspect and having all the necessary talent.

As for Azu himself, whenever he had time, he would immerse himself in the Institute for Advanced Study, personally participating in and guiding electrical research.

With Azu's knowledge and vision that are one or two hundred years ahead of his time, he could greatly advance the research process with just a little guidance.

As a result, the California Institute for Advanced Study has made rapid progress and achieved fruitful results in electrical research.

Perhaps in just one or two years, practical generators, electric motors, and landline telephones will be produced in Huamei Company's factories ahead of schedule.

As for wireless telegraphy, it will take a little longer, but it should become a reality within three to five years at most.

As for electric lights... that's even simpler. If Ah Zu wanted to, he could invent such a simple electrical appliance anytime!

(End of this chapter)