North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 97 Keep a close watch, don't let it slip! (5000 words, please add to your favorites)
In addition to rifles and grenades for individual soldiers, the arsenal was also producing more secretive heavy weapons.

The secrecy surrounding heavy weapons is even higher; apart from a few core members, no one knows the types and power of these weapons.

While producing weapons, Azu also reorganized his two militia regiments.

The original San Francisco militia, including the 10th Company which he personally formed, had a total of more than 800 militiamen, most of whom were white.

The first militia regiment was led by Harley.

The 2nd Militia Regiment is one of the three permanent militia regiments in California that it has just acquired.

This militia regiment was led by Ayan. Among them, Huamei Industrial Company had trained more than 300 Chinese laborers for several months and organized them into three companies.

During this period, from the hundreds of newly recruited Chinese laborers, three hundred young and strong men were selected and organized into three new recruit companies.

In addition, Ah Zu also recruited the hundreds of Chinese laborers who had originally gathered under Sixth Master's command, selecting three hundred of them and organizing them into three new recruit companies.

Next to the shipyard, Azu transformed his 500 acres of vacant land into a new militia barracks and training ground.

The two militia regiments, a total of nineteen companies and 1,800 people, were all brought into the new military camp for training.

Dozens of literate and outstanding individuals were selected from the former militia members of Huamei Company to serve as platoon and company leaders in nineteen companies.

In addition to two half-month intensive training sessions each year, one in the first half and one in the second half, daily training is also conducted for one hour each in the morning and evening, in order to improve and maintain combat effectiveness as much as possible without affecting production.

In addition to their regular wages, Azu gave these 1,800 militiamen an extra $15 a month. They also received a $10 training allowance during the two annual intensive training sessions.

More importantly, there are generous battle rewards for each battle you participate in!

The combat reward varies from a few hundred dollars to several hundred dollars each time, depending on the intensity of the battle and the individual's performance.

Furthermore, as long as they joined the militia, their children could attend school for free. Whether it was a school run by Huamei Industrial Company itself or a church-run school, they were eligible for free admission.

Furthermore, their family members also have priority in being employed by Huamei Industrial Company. Even women at Huamei Industrial Company can earn at least forty or fifty dollars a month.

In an era when women had low status and extremely low labor participation, Huamei Industrial Company was able to offer women such high salaries, whether in the garment factory or the textile factory that was being prepared. This was absolutely unprecedented in the world.

Furthermore, militia members who are wounded or killed in battle receive full rewards and compensation.

With such a comprehensive welfare system, the two militia regiments under Azu's command have shown exceptional enthusiasm for training and their training level has improved rapidly. Both their combat effectiveness and loyalty are increasing day by day.

The militia's first week of training ended just in time for Christmas.

On December 25th, the entire city of San Francisco was filled with a festive atmosphere, and Huamei Industrial Company was no exception.

Just as the whole of San Francisco was immersed in the festive atmosphere, an inconspicuous little fishing boat quietly docked at Clarke Pier in the dark of night.

An old man, dressed in poverty and with his hat pulled low, quietly boarded the boat.

Then, the fishing boat left the dock silently and disappeared into the night-shrouded sea.

It wasn't until they were far away from the dock and the old man appeared in the cabin that he took off his felt hat.

In the dim light of the ship's cabin, this hunched old man was none other than Pearson Brosnan, the Speaker of the California State Assembly... no, now the interim governor!

At this moment, Brosnan not only covered his face with a hat and a turned-up collar, but also disguised himself. If you didn't look closely, you would never recognize that this weathered old man was actually the elegant old gentleman!
"Lieutenant Colonel, I apologize for having to meet you in this manner!"

Brosnan's voice was deep, as if even a small fishing boat on the high seas had eyes and ears everywhere.

Inside the cabin, several other upright, unsmiling white men were already waiting.

The man in the lead had meticulously groomed hair, a clean-shaven beard, and piercing, deep eyes as he scrutinized Brosnan across from him.

“I’m sorry, Colonel Brosnan, we’ve disturbed your Christmas! You should be spending this time with your family.”

"Heh!" Brosnan chuckled wryly. "Given the current situation, I have no desire for any grudges."

The lieutenant colonel frowned slightly: "Has the situation in California become so dire? Your messenger's message was vague, Colonel. Why didn't you write to us yourself?"

“That damned Chinese spy and informant is everywhere. I can’t let a single word stay on paper, otherwise he’s very likely to intercept it.”

"Damn Chinaman?" the lieutenant colonel asked. "Colonel, who are you talking about?"

"Of course it's the behind-the-scenes boss of Huamei Industrial Company, that Li Zunian!"

The lieutenant colonel continued, "Although we've only been in California for a few days, we've already heard of Huamei Industrial Company. It's said that this company is now the largest in San Francisco… no, it should be the largest in all of California, is that right?"

Brosnan nodded: "Yes! Half of San Francisco belongs to Huamei Industrial Corporation, and their businesses are spread throughout California."

"Right now, the one who actually controls the entire San Francisco is this Huamei Industrial Company, and it's that damned Li!"

The lieutenant colonel wasn't particularly interested in who was in charge of San Francisco.

So he asked directly, "Colonel, what do you know about the sudden and complete disappearance of Major Daniel Cameron and his Northern California Ranger Battalion?"

Brosnan paused for a moment before replying, "Speaking of which, this matter may be related to the letter we wrote to him!"

"Faith? What faith?"

So, interim governor Brosnan told him everything that had happened in California and San Francisco during this period.

He didn't hide anything about that letter!

"Our interim state government and parliament have been bullied so badly by that damned Chinese guy. Many members of parliament and officials feel that they have suffered a great humiliation!"

"So we discussed it privately and decided that if we wanted to unify California and establish the authority of the state government and legislature, we had to get rid of that damned Chinaman and Huamei Industrial Company!"

"They are a huge cancer growing on California soil!" interim governor Brosnan said fiercely. "If we don't eradicate them, our state government and legislature will be nothing but a shell!"

"Because Major Daniel and I were old acquaintances, the officials and members of parliament decided that I should write that letter to Major Daniel on their behalf, inviting him to lead the Ranger Battalion to completely eradicate this cancerous tumor!"

Brosnan's voice was low and deep: "Shortly after that letter was sent, that damned Chinaman was assassinated!"

"Assassination...?" The lieutenant colonel frowned even more deeply.

"Yes! That Chinese guy was stabbed in the street! Unfortunately... he didn't die!"

Brosnan said with great regret, "I saw with my own eyes that carriage was riddled with bullets by the assassins. Under such a dense hail of bullets, that damned Chinese guy didn't even die! Alas... what a pity!"

"In the early hours of the day after that Chinaman was assassinated, many San Francisco residents faintly heard the sound of cannons at sea!"

"Cannon fire? On the sea?" The lieutenant colonel exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be...!"

“Yes! That’s a possibility!” Brosnan replied. “Last time, Major Daniel and the Ranger battalion were ambushed by the Indians, resulting in heavy losses and causing them to miss out on everything.”

“This time, Major Daniel must have learned from his previous mistake and avoided the land route, choosing the sea route instead!” Brosnan lamented. “Unfortunately, that damned Chinese guy should have been prepared! His shipping company owns more than a dozen armed merchant ships… These were originally assets belonging to the Cameron family!”

The lieutenant colonel was greatly shocked and hurriedly asked, "Colonel, are you sure? Are you sure that Major Daniel and the Ranger battalion were wiped out at sea by the armed merchant ship because they chose to travel by sea?"

Brosnan said with a heavy heart, "Besides this possibility, I can't think of any other reason why Major Daniel and three hundred elite rangers could have vanished without a trace overnight!"

The lieutenant colonel paused for a moment before continuing, "Colonel, do you have any evidence? A mere possibility is not enough to convict anyone, much less to satisfy the brigadier general!"

"Evidence! Ha, how could I possibly have any evidence? This is all just my personal speculation!"

Brosnan then changed the subject: "If you want evidence, that's easy!"

"Oh? How can we find the evidence?"

Brosnan replied, "To eliminate three hundred elite cavalrymen, even at sea, would certainly not be something a few people could accomplish!"

"There must be quite a few people involved! As long as... we capture a few survivors, the truth will come out."

"Capture them alive...!" The lieutenant colonel pondered, "As you said, Huamei Company is so powerful that it's too difficult to accurately capture the combat personnel from them!"

"It's not just too difficult, it's almost impossible!"

Brosnan shook his head and said, "Right now, that damned Chinese guy has two militia regiments under his control, nearly two thousand militiamen! Unless... the Brigadier General personally mobilizes the army, otherwise...!"

Silence fell over the cabin!

“Sigh…!” It was interim governor Brosnan who broke the silence: “Right now, those two thousand militiamen are training day and night, and with the terrifying financial support of Huamei Industrial Company…!”

"In just a few months, these two well-equipped and well-trained militia groups will be unmatched in all of California!"

“What’s more…!” Brosnan said in a somber voice, “That damned Chinese guy is very likely colluding with the Native Americans!”

"What?" The lieutenant colonel was shocked again: "Colluding with the Native Americans? How dare he?"

"Heh, why wouldn't you dare?" Brosnan sneered. "Don't forget, he's a Chinese guy, not one of us white guys! Chinese guys and Native Americans naturally look a lot alike, so what's so strange about them teaming up?"

After a long silence, the lieutenant colonel replied, "Even a brigadier general cannot mobilize a large number of army troops without authorization from the president and Congress, let alone attack a city that is about to join the United States!"

Brosnan's voice was somber as he said, "However, if it's about annihilating the Native Americans, then there's absolutely no need for authorization from the president or Congress!"

"Suppress the Native Americans?" the lieutenant colonel asked in surprise. "That Chinese guy and the Huamei Industrial Company are our targets. Why suppress the Native Americans?"

"If that Chinese guy really colluded with the Native Americans, he wouldn't have stood by and watched them be besieged! Otherwise, we would have cut off one of his arms and greatly reduced his strength."

Brosnan continued, "If he really does support the Indians, then we'll have evidence against him! The Brigadier General will have a reason to take action against him, even without the President and Congress's approval!"

“If he hadn’t colluded with the Native Americans, there wouldn’t have been any loss. Exterminating the Native Americans has always been our national policy, hasn’t it?”

The lieutenant colonel fell into deep thought again, considering the feasibility of implementing the plan.

Finally, the lieutenant colonel said in a deep voice: "Currently, our army has a total of one infantry regiment, three independent cavalry battalions, and one artillery battalion throughout California."

"After the Northern California Ranger Battalion disappeared, there was one regiment and three other battalions, totaling more than two thousand men."

Brosnan added, "If it were a campaign against the Indians, I think I could mobilize some local militias, and piece together a thousand men."

The lieutenant colonel nodded: "Then we can mobilize at least three thousand men! That sounds like a lot, but California is too big, and there are too many Native Americans. Three thousand men are not enough to wipe out all the Native American tribes."

“We don’t need to wipe out all the Native American tribes, we just need to target the tribe that the Chinese guy colluded with.”

"Colonel, do you know which tribe colluded with the Chinese?"

Brosnan thought for a moment, then shook his head helplessly: "I don't know about that."

“However, we can certainly conduct reconnaissance first!” Brosnan continued, “Major Daniel once told me that the Indian tribe that attacked them was exceptionally well-equipped and had extremely powerful firepower!”

"What impressed Major Daniel the most was that the Native American tribe still had powerful grenades in their hands!"

Brosnan added, "If I'm not mistaken, these weapons were provided by that damned Chinese guy to the even more damned Indians."

"We only need to send a small number of troops to conduct reconnaissance of the various Native American tribes. I think we'll soon find out which group is colluding with the Chinese!"

"Colonel, your strategy is truly admirable!"

The lieutenant colonel said with genuine admiration, "No wonder, before we left, the brigadier general insisted that we consult you first!"

"When it comes to connections and luck, strategy is worthless!" Brosnan chuckled. "That's why I remained a colonel until my retirement, while that lucky guy George became a general!"

"Ahem...!" The lieutenant colonel didn't dare to speak ill of his superior behind his back, so he coughed twice and continued, "Having learned so much from the colonel, I think I no longer need to stay in California."

"I will return to New Mexico as soon as possible and report everything we have learned today, including your advice, Colonel, to the General."

The lieutenant colonel added, "As for the general's decision, we will report to you, colonel, as soon as possible!"

"No...!" Brosnan hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't contact me directly! Unless absolutely necessary, you'd better not contact me."

"In case of an emergency where contact is absolutely necessary, well, you can pass a message to Captain Sean of this fishing boat."

"Sean was my bodyguard in the past. He took a bullet for me during the Black Hawk Down war and had to retire after his leg was injured."

“Sean is absolutely loyal and trustworthy! Even this fishing boat was a means of livelihood that I gave him many years ago.”

"If verbal messages cannot be delivered, the Army Intelligence Service's codes can be used to transmit them."

The lieutenant colonel nodded: "I understand, Colonel!"
-
Meanwhile, at the shipyard headquarters of Huamei Company.

The key members of Huamei Industrial Group, along with their families, gathered together to enjoy a sumptuous Christmas dinner.

Besides the essential roast turkey and tamari, the huge table also features smoked ham, Caspian caviar, Christmas salmon, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, minced meat pie...!
Besides these white-themed meals, Chinese food is also becoming increasingly popular!
Boiled chicken, roast suckling pig, braised pigeon, honey-glazed char siu, roast goose, abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall...!
Ah Zu has recruited the best Cantonese chef in all of San Francisco.

To prepare this Christmas feast, the chefs pulled out all the stops.

At the enormous dining table, besides Azu himself, there were Vivian and her father, Bishop Evan, the Vic family, Edgar Allan Poe, the old bachelor Jason, Victoria, Monica, Youma, Ayan, Uncle Nine, Sixth Master and his entire family, Harley, old Martinez, Wu Qingfeng, as well as young Carnegie and the five young talents from the East...!
Almost all of his own team members were gathered together. The men were toasting and drinking, while the women and children chattered and made a racket, creating an unprecedentedly lively atmosphere.

Looking at all the people who had gathered under his command since arriving on this land, Azu felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment!

There are Chinese, whites, Native Americans... poets and novelists, thugs and gangsters, lone wolves, PhDs, doctors and nurses, bishops, illiterate people, and future legendary figures at this table...!
Azu couldn't help but sigh.

"This is truly a hodgepodge; it must have been incredibly difficult to prepare a meal like this!"

(End of this chapter)