North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 90 Riding on my head and shitting? (4,000 words)
Now that things had come to this point, Azu had no choice but to give Peter Parker a brief overview of the "common knowledge" of bacteriology.

After hearing Azu's brief explanation, Dr. Parker Parker remained silent for a long time in shock.

“Azu, if everything you’ve said is true, it will undoubtedly be an extremely significant discovery in the entire history of medicine!”

"But you are such a young Chinese person! I really can't imagine where you learned all this knowledge?"

Knowing he would ask such a question, Azu pointed upwards and said, "Mr. Parker, since you are a devout believer in God, you must know that some things cannot be explained by common sense!"

“Divine revelation…?” Parker Parker pondered. “But you are not a follower of my Lord. Even if it is a gift from the Lord, why would it fall upon you?”

Azu spread his hands: "Perhaps, in His eyes, there is no difference!"

Parker Parker paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, saying, "I think you're right! We are all lambs of God, and in His eyes, there is no difference between gentle sheep and unruly goats!"

Azu took out a few more vials of penicillin from the drawer and handed them to Peter Parker: "Mr. Parker, there are many infected patients in the church hospital. You can try the effects of penicillin yourself!"

"If penicillin is truly miraculously effective and can really save many lives, then I have one request!"

"any request?"

"Our pharmaceutical plant will be built soon, and the ordered machinery and equipment are already on a ship bound for San Francisco."

"However, we still lack a leader, an outstanding person who can take the lead in building the pharmaceutical factory and putting penicillin into large-scale production!"

At this point, Parker Parker naturally understood: "Azu, you want me to take charge of the pharmaceutical factory?"

"Yes! I can't think of anyone more suitable than you, a medical doctor from Yale!"

Parker Parker examined the unremarkable transparent liquid in his hand: "If your penicillin is really as you say, I think this is undoubtedly the best opportunity to realize my original intention and bring good news to more patients!"

"If penicillin is really that amazing, even if you hadn't mentioned it, I think I would have done everything I could to get this opportunity!"

"Then it's settled!"

Ah Zu and his future father-in-law held hands tightly!
Parker Parker, who almost lost his faith, finally found his direction and purpose again.

After the conversation ended, the two left the study one after the other.

They ran into the handsome young Chinese man who had been brought to America by Parker Parker.

"Mr. Parker!" the young Chinese man greeted him warmly.

Parker Parker nodded to him.
“Mr. Parker, who is this…!” Azu asked in confusion.

Peter Parker then said, "I apologize for not having a chance to formally introduce him. This is Wu Qingfeng. His father is a friend of mine. He loves studying medicine and is very talented. His father asked me to bring him to America to study medicine."

"Hello, Mr. Li! You can call me Xiao Wu!" The refined and handsome young man greeted Ah Zu in Cantonese.

"Don't call me Mr. Li. We are both Chinese, and we are both from Guangdong. Just call me Azu!"

Xiao Wu nodded: "I'm really happy to see a fellow Cantonese in a foreign land, Brother Zu!"

Ah Zu smiled and said, "Wu, that's a very rare surname! Anyone who can befriend Mr. Parker must be from a very ordinary family. In Guangzhou, I've only ever heard of one prominent family with the surname Wu."

"That Wu family is the Wu family, the head of the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou!"

"The Wu family was once known as the richest family in the world. After the Opium War, the Wu family even paid several million taels of silver to the imperial court. Unfortunately, with the opening of five ports to foreign trade and the loss of their trade monopoly, the Wu family gradually declined."

The Wu family, once not only a descendant of the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou, monopolized foreign trade, but also had significant investments in the United States, such as the Chicago-Burlington-Quincy Railroad, which propelled Forbes to become the "Railroad King" of America!

"Xiao Wu, you wouldn't happen to be from that Wu family, would you?"

“This…!” Xiao Wu hesitated slightly and did not answer.

"Ah Zu, actually, it wouldn't hurt to tell you!"

Parker Parker answered for him: "Xiao Wu is indeed from the Wu family you mentioned! However, the current Wu family is not the same as the Wu family of the past. In the Qing Dynasty, the Wu family has a bad reputation and is having a hard time."

Of course, Ah Zu knew that the Wu family was having a hard time!

In later generations, the Wu family, led by Wu Bingjian and his son Wu Shaorong, bore the infamy of the corrupt and incompetent Qing Dynasty for over a hundred years.

Parker Parker continued, "After that war, the Wu family declined rapidly. Little Wu has been studying medicine with me for some time, so I sent him to America with me to see if we could find a new way out."

A new way out?

Ah Zu remembered those words!

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; with the Wu family's foundation and connections, no other merchant firm in the Qing Dynasty could compare.

In the future, absorbing a large population and selling their products to the Qing Dynasty will require mature commercial channels.

If we could get in touch with the Wu family, that might be a good option.

Azu said, "The Wu family is indeed a discerning family. There is no future for them if they continue to stay in the Qing Dynasty."

"On this land across the ocean, life is in full bloom, and business opportunities are everywhere."

“I’ve only been here for less than six months, but I’ve already built up a small business.”

Wu Qingfeng had accompanied Peter Parker on a tour of some of Azu's properties.

If you own half of San Francisco, is that still just a small business?
Ah Zu continued, "I'm currently preparing to set up a pharmaceutical factory. Since you're studying medicine under Mr. Parker, Xiao Wu, why don't you stay and assist him in building the factory? I wonder if you'd be willing?"

Wu Qingfeng quickly agreed: "I couldn't be happier! I want to learn medicine from Mr. Bojia, and I also want to learn business from you, Brother Zu. You've built such a large business in such a short time, Brother Zu, you're really amazing!"

Azu smiled slightly: "This is nothing! Once our penicillin is mass-produced, we will probably need to borrow from your Wu family to sell this drug to the Qing Dynasty."

"Penicillin...? What kind of drug is that?"

"Mr. Parker will explain it to you clearly!" In the following two days, Parker indeed took Xiao Wu to the church hospital to test the efficacy of penicillin.

Unsurprisingly, the efficacy of penicillin was astonishing!
In the eyes of Dr. Parker, a medical doctor, a patient with a severe infection who was completely beyond help could quickly improve after just one injection!

This is no ordinary medicine; this is a miracle!

Unfortunately, there were only a few doses of penicillin available.

Having witnessed the miraculous effects of penicillin firsthand, Parker Parker was extremely excited and immediately devoted himself wholeheartedly to the construction of the pharmaceutical factory.

After witnessing it firsthand, Xiao Wu became even more enthusiastic than Bo Jia! This was because he heard what A Zu had said.

In Xiao Wu's eyes, penicillin was the path he had painstakingly sought for his entire family when he came to the New World!

As long as they can secure the sales rights for penicillin, why shouldn't the Wu family be able to make a comeback?
As for the two chemistry professionals from the east, Azu also assigned them to Bojia's team. He confidently entrusted the task of setting up the pharmaceutical factory to his future father-in-law.

I have more pressing matters to attend to.

“BOSS, that interim governor Burnett, he approached me and asked us to provide office space for the interim state government.”

When Mayor Vic approached him, Azu couldn't help but retort, "Provide office space for the interim state government? On what grounds? Does our interim governor not even have the funds to rent an office building?"

Mayor Vic shook his head: "No! The customs duties at all ports have now been transferred to the interim state government, so the interim governor has money on hand."

Azu asked curiously, "Then why are you asking us for office space?"

"Because... in the entire San Francisco, almost all the decent real estate properties belong to our Huamei Industrial Company!"

Mayor Vic shrugged with a wry smile: "Without your approval, Boss, our interim governor, no matter how rich he is, can't rent or buy any decent office space!"

"The current interim state government, with only a few dozen people, is crammed into a hotel and is unable to conduct its work properly!"

"I see...!" Azu thought for a moment, "That Cameron Manor, after the Cameron family all disappeared, wasn't it left empty? Isn't it our property now? That place is big enough to fit as many people as you want!"

"Cameron Estate...?" A strange look flashed across Vic's face. He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "But I've heard that too many people have died in that estate. It's a gloomy, haunted house!"

"Haunted?" A smile appeared on Ah Zu's face: "Isn't that perfect? ​​Evil can't prevail over good. Let our governor's righteous spirit suppress the evil spirit of that haunted house!"

"If something were to happen to the governor at Cameron Estate, it would only mean that he lacked the righteous energy to suppress the evil spirits of the haunted house, wouldn't you agree?"

Vic realized: "Boss, you're right, I'll arrange it right away!"

Azu patted his broad shoulder: "Make sure to clean up Cameron Estate properly and rent it to the governor for a good price. It's the most luxurious and high-class mansion in all of San Francisco!"

"Haha, my boss, no problem!"

“There’s something else!” Vic continued, “The interim governor wants San Francisco to immediately implement the Foreign Miners Tax Act and begin taxing all Chinese laborers at five dollars per person per month!”

"Five dollars?" Azu frowned. "Doesn't the Foreign Miners Tax Act stipulate three dollars?"

"Yes! The Foreign Miners Tax Act does indeed stipulate a three-dollar tax, but the interim governor issued an executive order to impose an additional two-dollar special security tax on all Chinese laborers on top of the three-dollar tax!"

“What special security tax?” Azu asked curiously.

"They say it's to expedite the establishment of three permanent state militia corps, but there's a huge funding gap, so they're levying special taxes!"

"Is this so-called special security tax only levied on Chinese people?"

“Yes!” Mayor Vic nodded.

Ah Zu frowned slightly: "I think he's deliberately targeting Chinese workers. Governor, what other policies do you have? Please tell us!"

Vic replied, "The interim governor has also raised the entry tax at all customs. Previously, the entry tax was only two dollars, but now, our governor has raised it to fifteen dollars!"

"Fifteen dollars? That's a 750% increase?" Azu sneered. "The vast majority of those entering the country are poor! It seems our governor is planning to keep all Chinese laborers out of the country!"

Vic continued, "Furthermore, Governor Burnett also demanded that our San Francisco city government transfer command of the city's militia to the state government! He said it was for the purpose of unifying the fight against and suppression of Native Americans and gangs!"

"Use our militia to fight our Native American brothers?"

Azu calmly remarked, "This interim governor of Burnett has certainly got a good plan!"

Vic added, "Not only that, the interim governor is also working on establishing a state tax bureau. Once the state tax bureau is established, he will be even more unscrupulous and arbitrary in levying taxes on us and all Chinese laborers!"

"There's also the state police department, the state prosecutor's office, the state courts, and the state prisons... Once these powerful institutions are established, the governor's power will expand to unimaginable levels, which will have terrible consequences for our cause."

“BOSS…!” Vic said, lowering his voice, “Should we take advantage of the fact that the interim governor has just arrived and is not yet settled in…!”

As he spoke, Mayor Vic made a throat-slitting gesture.

Azu looked at him with slight surprise: "My Mayor Vic, are you still the upright gentleman you used to be? That's our governor, how come you're always trying to kill him?"

"Hehe!" Mayor Vic chuckled, "I learned all this from you! You've handled such a big city like San Francisco with ease, why would you need another interim governor?"

"No!" Azu pondered, "Simply killing the interim governor would be far too obvious!"

"Taking down Burnett isn't difficult! But if we do that, we'll be completely at odds with the state government!"

"Even if we take down one Burnett, it won't help. There will be many more Burnetts riding on our heads in the future!"

Vic asked, "Then what can we do? We can't just let that guy Burnett do whatever he wants and shit on our heads while we just swallow our anger and do nothing, can we?"

After a moment of contemplation, Ah Zu asked, "Has the State Constitutional Conference automatically transformed into a provisional state legislature?"

"Yes! The current interim state Senate and House of Representatives are preparing to relocate to our city during the recess!"

Azu added, "It seems we are still too weak! California must also have its voice heard!"

(End of this chapter)