North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 88 My own good cabbage was eaten by a pig? (7,000 words, 2,000 extra words for "book drought")
"Mr. Allen, do we have any dirt on this Mr. De Sandis?"

Upon hearing Azu's question, Edgar Allan Poe shook his head: "This Sandy is a strange old stubborn man who isn't very interested in money or women. Without these two interests, it's hard to find any weaknesses or dirt on him."

"This old man's only hobbies are hunting and fishing. It's not easy to get rid of him by smearing him."

“His only hobbies are hunting and fishing, which is indeed difficult to manage!” After a moment of contemplation, Azu said, “From today onwards, our newspapers and the church will begin to praise Mr. Sandy, praising him as a saint living among men, compassionate, helping the poor and needy, and without desires!”

“What…” Edgar Allan Poe’s eyes widened: “Boss, aren’t you helping him win the election by doing this?”

"Yes, I want to help him!"

Then, Azu whispered a few words in Edgar Allan Poe's ear.

After hearing Azu's whisper, Edgar Allan Poe was shocked and stared at Azu for a long time, speechless.

"Boss...you, you're a monster!"

Azu smiled slightly: "Hehe, in China, this is just a low-level trick! Let's do things this way, and I believe that we will not have any decent opponents on our election journey."

Edgar Allan Poe then added, "Boss, there's one more thing we need to prepare for in advance!"

"what's up?"

"The California Constitutional Convention is in session, and according to my sources, the gentlemen of the convention, in view of the current chaotic situation in California, have unanimously agreed to pass several proposals."

"What proposal?" Azu pressed.

"The first proposal is to intensify the suppression of Native Americans! The Constitutional Convention plans to establish permanent militias in three states, whose primary responsibility is to suppress Native Americans!"

Edgar Allan Poe said with a grim face, "I think this is tantamount to a formal declaration of war against all the Indians of California! Just like the Indian Wars that the American army is currently waging!"

Azu's expression remained unchanged: "Then what about the second proposal?"

"The second proposal is to intensify the crackdown on bandits! It has little to do with us."

"So, there's a third proposal?"

“Yes!” Edgar Allan Poe’s face darkened further: “The third proposal is the Foreign Miners’ Tax Act, which is mainly aimed at Chinese laborers!”

"The Foreign Miners Tax Law?" Azu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, the state constitutional convention is preparing to levy a mining tax on all Chinese laborers!"

"How many?"

"The current proposal is three dollars per person per month, and it will increase every year! It is entirely possible that it will increase to ten dollars, twenty dollars or even thirty dollars per month in the future!"

"Heh!" Azu sneered, "These powerful and wealthy people are really eager to target and exploit Chinese laborers!"

Edgar Allan Poe asked, "If we allow them to raise taxes so arbitrarily, it will definitely affect our large-scale influx of Chinese laborers. Boss, do you have any way to stop this proposal?"

Azu pondered for a moment: "Right now, we don't have a good way to stop them from levying taxes. After all, we can't interfere with any of the powers at the state level right now."

Edgar Allan Poe said, unwilling to give up, "So there really is no way at all?"

Ah Zu smiled and said, "It's not like there's no way at all! No matter what kind of law or tax it is, it still needs people to enforce it!"

"Once we have all the power in San Francisco, we can temporarily suspend the implementation of this so-called 'Foreign Miners Tax Act,' right?"

"Not to implement it?" Edgar Allan Poe asked in surprise, "Wouldn't that put San Francisco and California at odds?"

“So what if we’re opposed!” Azu patted Edgar Allan Poe on the shoulder. “A little competition would only be a good thing!”

"Ellen, my friend, there is endless joy in struggling against heaven, against earth, and against man!"
-
That morning, the newspaper "Le Monde" began to vigorously praise the virtues and character of Senator De Sandis.

Despite its short history, The Standard has become one of the most influential newspapers in California due to its low prices, large mail volume, and frequent breaking news.

At the same time, the Bay Area churches began to praise Senator DeSantis's virtues, elevating him overnight to the status of a living saint, whose virtues were simply impeccable.

With the combined efforts of newspapers and churches, De Sandis's fame and popularity soared in a short period of time, especially among the poor who held a large number of votes, where he achieved an unprecedentedly perfect reputation.

With De Sandis's popularity soaring and the election day fast approaching, all sides are vying to curry favor with the future mayor.

Everyone knew that Congressman de Sandis disliked money and women, but was instead philanthropist and philanthropist. So, they catered to his tastes and donated money and goods to him for charity.

On this day, Senator de Sandis received the largest donation in history.

A full 20,000 pounds of flour!
San Francisco currently has a population of just over 20,000. These 20,000 pounds of flour would be enough for almost everyone to get one pound, enough for all the poor to have a few full meals!
Senator De Sandis was deeply moved by the huge anonymous donation, and his whole family pitched in to distribute flour to all the poor people on the street.

As he watched the poor people carry bags of flour home, Congressman De Sandis felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

In just one day, Congressman de Sandis personally distributed thousands of bags of flour, providing relief to thousands of poor families.

These actions further propelled Senator De Sandis's prestige to an unparalleled peak.

However, things quickly took a turn for the better!

The next day, large numbers of poor people took to the streets to protest that the flour distributed by Congressman de Sandis was not only expired but also contained a lot of sand!
The Standard also reported on the incident immediately.

The situation escalated rapidly, and the popularity and reputation that De Sandis had painstakingly built up collapsed overnight!

The more I loved and respected him, the more I hate him now!
This is the power of praise to death.

On the eve of the election, his only rival's reputation collapsed. He had no rivals left on his path to complete control of San Francisco.
-
1849 10 Month 15 Day.

After enduring numerous hardships, San Francisco has finally ushered in a new election day.

The election, which was only held at the county level, did not cause much of a stir.

Most of the upper-class people who were eligible to participate in the election were killed in last month's catastrophe, so there were not many candidates and the competition was not fierce.

The election results were announced the following day.

As expected, Azu's nominee, Vic, was successfully elected mayor.

Edgar Allan Poe, Jason, Harley, and Martinez were successfully elected as city councilors.

In a city council with only seven seats, Azu's people won four seats, making them the majority.

As a matter of course, Edgar Allan Poe became the speaker of the city council.

Upon becoming the mayor of San Francisco, Vic immediately appointed Jason as the city's police chief, Ayan as the militia commander, and Harley as the deputy commander.

These appointments were also successfully approved by the city council.

From this point on, Azu and his Huamei Industrial Company truly controlled the vast majority of power in San Francisco!
Meanwhile, seventeen clipper ships belonging to Huamei Company, after making all preparations, set sail from Clarke Wharf and headed for the distant East.

On the first long voyage of their own ships, almost all the key figures of Huamei Company were present to personally see off the fleet.

Not just Azu, Vivian, Daisy, Vic, Jason, Edgar Allan Poe, Halley, Ayan, Mrs. Anna, and Martinez.

Also present were the newly joined members, including Yuma, Monica, and young Carnegie; almost the entire cast was there.

Victoria and Sixth Master were the only ones who were not present in the farewell procession because their identities were kept secret.

Watching the massive fleet gradually disappear into the distance, and seeing the worried look on Azu's face, Vic couldn't help but comfort him, "Boss, don't worry. With such a large fleet, even if something happens at sea, they can help each other out. There won't be any major problems."

“No!” Azu shook his head: “I’m not worried about what might happen to such a large fleet. I’m worried about whether those letters will reach their recipients.”

"Boss, are those letters really that important?"

"This concerns the future; it is of paramount importance! Even more important than the safety of this fleet!"

Hearing what Azu said, the people around him became even more curious. Who were those letters addressed to? What exactly were written in them?
Only after the massive fleet had completely disappeared from sight did the group prepare to return.

Just then, another ocean-going clipper ship was returning to port. After a very long journey across the Pacific Ocean, it finally came to a stop at the dock.

Upon seeing the ship, Vic remarked, "This is the New World, which specializes in the Eastern route. I wonder what it has brought back from China this time?"

As they were speaking, a thin, haggard-looking, and dejected middle-aged white man descended the gangway.

Behind him were two attendants carrying suitcases, and a very young, handsome Chinese man.

Vivian, who was just about to turn around and leave with Azu, inexplicably looked back.

That one glance was enough to make her unable to move!
Upon seeing the passengers who had just disembarked from the ship, Vivian's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but shout out!
"Father……!"

The person who disembarked from the New World was none other than Peter Parker, who had traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean to return home.

This Yale medical doctor, the first medical missionary to come to China, and the future American Minister Plenipotentiary to China, received a letter from Bishop Evan three months ago. Heartbroken, he immediately packed his bags and embarked on his journey home.

Upon learning that his wife and daughter had perished in a shipwreck, Parker Parker was devastated and heartbroken.

He didn't receive a second letter from Bishop Evan, nor did he receive a letter from Vivian, before boarding the "New World." During the three months on the ship, he suffered day and night from the agonizing loss of his wife and daughter.

For the past three months, he has been unable to eat or sleep properly. His once robust body has lost dozens of pounds, and he looks extremely haggard and old.

So much so that Vivian almost didn't recognize her own father when she first saw him!
"Father……!"

Vivian's tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and like a fledgling returning to its nest, she flew into Parker Parker's arms.

“Vivian…” Parker Parker could hardly believe his eyes, and looked down to confirm the person in his arms again and again.

"It really is you! Vivian, my daughter, you're not dead, you're really alive! Ahhh...!"

A father and daughter embraced tightly and wept bitterly!
Especially for Parker Parker, who thought his daughter was dead, the immense joy of seeing her alive and well before his eyes, along with all the torment he had endured these past few days, was completely released in that instant.

A missionary like him, and a medical doctor at that, should have been one of the most emotionally stable people.

But at this moment, even though he was as firm as a rock, he couldn't control his emotions and burst into tears.

Seeing the father and daughter reunited after going through so many hardships, Azu's eyes couldn't help but redden slightly.

Mrs. Anna and Daisy were already in tears, constantly wiping away their tears with handkerchiefs.

After a long while, the father and daughter finally stopped crying and slowly let go of each other.

“Vivian, my daughter, I received a letter from your Uncle Evan, who thought that you and your mother had died in a shipwreck.”

"And now, seeing that you are still alive, I am so happy, so very happy!"

Peter Parker wiped away his tears with a handkerchief and asked, "Vivian, your mother...!" "Mother, she has truly returned to the Lord's embrace!" Vivian sobbed as she answered.

"May your mother rest in the embrace of the Lord!" Peter Parker made the sign of the cross on his chest and prayed to the sky.

"My daughter, tell me, how did you survive the shipwreck?"

Vivian wiped away her tears and replied, "Father, I was rescued and put on a lifeboat. I drifted at sea for more than a month. In the end, thanks to Azu, he saved all of us."

"Azu? Who is he?"

Ah Zu stepped forward and bowed respectfully to his future father-in-law, saying, "Respected Mr. Boya, I am Li Zunian. You may call me Ah Zu!"

Parker Parker reached out and shook hands firmly with Azu: "Azu, thank you for saving my daughter!"

Azu said politely, "Mr. Parker, Vivian and I were just in the same boat; I can't say I saved her."

"No, Father, it was Azu who saved me, and everyone on the lifeboat!" Vivian said, instinctively taking Azu's arm.
Parker Parker's gaze froze instantly!

"Vivian, you, you all...!"

"Ah...!" Vivian finally realized what was happening and tried to shake off Azu's arm, but it was too late. "Father, I...!"

Parker Parker frowned slightly: "Vivian, tell me, what's going on here?"

"I...we!" Vivian stammered, unable to answer.

Azu smiled slightly and calmly replied, "Mr. Parker, I think Miss Vivian is my girlfriend now!"

"girlfriend?"

Parker Parker felt like he'd been struck hard on the forehead by lightning, his scalp instantly exploding!

How could a pig have eaten up such a perfectly good cabbage that I grew myself?

And he was Chinese? A heretic? A...not-so-remarkable guy?

"Vivian, is what he said true?"

Vivian looked at her father, then at her grandfather beside her.

"Um……!"

Vivian blushed, lowered her head, and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"This...!" Parker Parker, who had just disembarked, was greeted with a series of surprises and was at a loss for words!

“Mr. Parker!” Azu said in a deep voice, “You have only just disembarked, and there are many things you do not yet know about Vivian and me.”

"Please don't rush. Let me settle you in first and learn more about the situation before we talk properly, okay, Mr. Parker?"

What could Parker Parker say at this point?
Under Azu's arrangement, they boarded a carriage and headed straight for the shipyard.

That evening, Parker Parker, who had already settled in, and the young Chinese man were treated to a lavish feast by Azu.

After enduring three months of hardship on the ship, Peter Parker, who had just finished washing up and cleaning himself, felt much more energetic when he saw that his daughter was still alive.

“Mr. Parker!” Azu stood up, holding his wine glass. “Please allow me to introduce you to the distinguished guests present!”

Azu pointed his glass at Vic and said, "This is Mr. Vic, the former captain of the Barbara. Now, he is the newly elected mayor of San Francisco and one of the shareholders of our Huamei Industrial Company!"

“Captain Vic? The mayor of San Francisco?” Parker Parker had a vague recollection of Captain Vic, after all, he was the one who personally sent his wife and daughters to the “Barbara”, and they had met a few months ago.

Mayor Vic... stood up, looking guilty, and said, "Mr. Parker, I am very sorry that I was unable to save your wife in that shipwreck!"

Parker Parker quickly stood up as well: "Captain... no, Mayor, I think it's all God's arrangement, I don't blame you!"

Azu continued, "This is the famous poet, novelist, and great detective—Mr. Edgar Allan Poe!"

Peter Parker had certainly heard of Edgar Allan Poe's name, and quickly raised his glass in greeting, saying, "Dear Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, I have read many of your masterpieces, and I never expected to meet you here!"

"Mr. Edgar Allan Poe is now the newly elected Speaker of the San Francisco City Council, and also the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Standard!"

Parker Parker was even more surprised: "Speaker? President and editor-in-chief?"

Edgar Allan Poe stood up, raised his glass, and said, "A few months ago, I was just a dying patient with severe pneumonia. It was the Boss who saved my life! And everything I have now is also thanks to the Boss!"

Can severe pneumonia be completely cured?

Parker Parker asked in surprise, "BOSS?"

"Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, who is your boss?"

Faced with Parker Parker's question, everyone's eyes instantly focused on one person.

Following everyone's gaze, Parker Parker saw Azu, who was raising his glass and smiling at him!

“Li…!” Parker Parker exclaimed in surprise, “Azu, you’re Edgar Allan Poe’s boss?”

"No!"

Almost everyone at the table said in unison, "He is our boss!"

"What...everyone's boss?"

Parker Parker was utterly shocked: "Azu, you're Chinese, and so young, and you've only been in America for less than six months. How is that possible?"

Vivian answered for Azu: "Yes, Father! In less than half a year, Azu led all of us to establish Huamei Industrial Company."

"Azu led us to invent jeans, prefabricated houses, and the foot-operated sewing machine. Most importantly, Azu also invented penicillin, which has saved countless lives, and many, many others!"

“Azu led us to discover millions of dollars worth of gold, buy half of San Francisco, and found the largest newspaper in all of California, the Standard!”

"Currently, our Huamei Company owns a large trading fleet consisting of nearly a hundred merchant ships, three of the largest shipyards in California, hundreds of thousands of acres of real estate and land, the largest trading firm, eight mines of various kinds, and the largest gold mining company...!"

"Now, under Azu's leadership, Mr. Vic has become the mayor of San Francisco, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe has become the speaker of the city council, Mr. Jason has become a city councilor and police chief, Mr. Harley and Mr. Martinez have become councilors, and Ayan has become the militia commander!"

"I think we can proudly say that our Huamei Industrial Company controls the entire San Francisco!"

"Father, I am now also one of the founding shareholders of Huamei Industrial Company!"

"Although I only own 4% of the shares, Father, I think that the wealth I possess now is more than yours, much more!"

“Father, Azu not only saved my life, but also created countless riches for us. Every day with Azu is incredibly busy, fulfilling, and joyful!”

Vivian mustered all her courage: "Father, I admire Azu's talent and wisdom, I admire his way of dealing with people, I admire his every word and deed! I... I admire everything about him!"

In front of everyone, Vivian mustered all her courage and finally said what she had kept buried in her heart for so long!

Parker Parker was completely shocked by his daughter's words, and he was utterly stunned!

He instinctively doubted the truth of her words, but his intuition told him that everything his daughter said was true!
Finally, Parker Parker managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Vivian, Azu, the surprise you've given me is just too great!"

"I think I need more time to understand and adapt to all of this!"
-
After a sumptuous dinner, Parker Parker, who had been at sea for three months, returned to his room early to rest.

Meanwhile, the core members of Huamei Company sat together in the study.

Edgar Allan Poe spoke first: "Boss, our intelligence network has just received another piece of bad news."

"What news?" Azu asked.

"My influential friend told me that the California Constitutional Convention is preparing to establish a state government! Perhaps by the end of this year, California will become a unified state!"

Edgar Allan Poe continued with a grim face: "We finally gained control of San Francisco, and now another state government has suddenly appeared, riding roughshod over us! I think this is not a good thing for us."

“The state government… um!” Azu hesitated for a moment before saying, “I think this is both a bad thing and a good thing!”

"What do you mean by that?" All eyes were on Azu's face.

Azu replied, "Currently, almost all towns in California rely on self-government, and city halls and city councils have a great deal of power."

"As Mr. Edgar Allan Poe said, we have just taken control of San Francisco, and now we have another state government above us, which will definitely impose more restrictions on us, which is certainly a bad thing."

“But…!” Azu’s tone shifted: “San Francisco is too small right now, and the population is too small. If we want to develop further, we must first take over the entire California market and resources.”

"With this unified state government, California should be able to form a unified market as soon as possible, which is undoubtedly a good thing for our expansion and development."

"However, the most crucial element is still people!"

At this point, Azu asked, "Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, do you know which gentleman is most likely to become the first governor?"

Edgar Allan Poe replied, "Most likely, it is Mr. Peter Hardman Burnett!"

“你们应该都知道，就在前几天，加利福尼亚州制宪会议刚刚结束（1849年9月3日至10月13日）。”

"At the Constitutional Convention, the first California Constitution was drafted, preparing for California to apply to join the United States as a full state."

"At the same time, the Constitutional Convention also elected Mr. Peter Hardman Burnett as interim governor, responsible for forming government agencies and formulating policies! Naturally, he also became the most likely candidate for the first governor."

Azu then asked, "What kind of person is this Mr. Peter Hardman Burnett?"

"As far as I know, this Mr. Peter Hardman Burnett is a lawyer born in Tennessee and a staunch white supremacist!"

"He hates all Native Americans. If he becomes governor, along with the three permanent militias to be established in the three states at the Constitutional Convention, Native Americans will face even more brutal expulsion and massacre!"

"At the same time, he also dislikes Chinese people and Chinese laborers. Once he comes to power, Chinese people and Chinese laborers will suffer more suppression and bullying."

"He also harbored no affection for Black people and opposed slavery and slavery! The main point of his speech at the Constitutional Convention was to transform California into a completely white state!"

Everyone present frowned upon hearing this.

Azu said, "It seems that this Mr. Burnett is not very friendly! If there is a chance, it would be best to talk to this interim governor in person."

Edgar Allan Poe replied, “The Constitutional Convention just concluded in Monterey, designating San Francisco as the state capital. I imagine our interim governor is on his way to San Francisco to prepare for the establishment of the state government.”

Azu raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.

"You've come as expected? Heh, very good. I can't wait to meet the acting governor!"

(End of this chapter)