Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 39 The Early Formation of a Bandit Empire

Speaking of Japan...

Lawson's thoughts suddenly stopped.

A historical event deep in memory has clearly emerged.

It is now late September 1878.

The following year, 1879, a momentous event occurred in the far East that would have a profound impact on posterity—

Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom.

At this time, Ryukyu was still nominally an independent kingdom.

It was like a helpless child caught between two giants.

It was both a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty and, under the military coercion of Japan, became a vassal state of Japan.

Forced to pay tribute to two suzerain states simultaneously.

The Ryukyu royal family was weak and compromising.

As the Meiji Restoration progressed and Japan's national strength increased, it had long coveted the Ryukyu Islands.

With its national strength waning, the Qing Dynasty could only issue useless verbal protests in response to Japan's increasing pressure.

Japan will launch military operations on March 27th of next year.

They sent troops to directly attack Shuri Castle, the capital of Ryukyu, and deposed the king.

This kingdom, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, was forcibly changed into Okinawa Prefecture of Japan.

The strategic value of Ryukyu is self-evident.

It is like a string of pearls scattered on the blue sea.

It borders Kyushu Island of Japan to the east, Taiwan Island of the Qing Dynasty to the west, the vast East China Sea to the north, and the expansive Pacific Ocean to the south.

Its coastline stretches for over a thousand kilometers.

The Ryukyu Kingdom has been an important trade hub connecting Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia since ancient times.

It is hailed as the "bridge between nations".

Such a strategic location, yet its own military strength is pitifully weak.

Japan had entered the Meiji era, and its army had been fully equipped with British-made Snyder-Enfield black powder breech-loading rifles.

However, the guards of the Ryukyu Kingdom were still equipped with broadswords and spears.

So much so that historically, Japan easily conquered the country by sending only 100 policemen and 400 army soldiers.

Lawson tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the rocking chair.

An idea popped into my head uncontrollably.

Are we just going to watch this string of pearls fall into Japanese hands?
Wouldn't that be letting them off easy?

Such a great location.

I want too.

Although I haven't decided what to do with it yet, it's like seeing a piece of tender, fatty meat—it's always good to grab it first.

Even if it's not very useful for the time being, it can still give Japan a good thrashing.

As long as we have control over Ryukyu.

Japan’s proud 3,000-kilometer coastline will be cut in half in an instant.

The southern sea frontier will be completely opened!

It takes about fifteen to twenty days to travel from California to Okinawa by the fastest steamship.

There is still plenty of time.

With this in mind, Lawson issued a new order:

Two British-American assassins immediately went to San Francisco Harbor to buy ferry tickets.

As an American businessman, he traveled to the Ryukyu Kingdom and mainland Japan, respectively, to serve as future spatial coordinates.

The remaining five spots today will be filled by people of different British descent, each provided with a fast horse and travel expenses.

Heading in different directions, such as the eastern and southern parts of America, to sow seeds in a wider range.

A series of invisible commands were issued.

Lawson gently blew out a breath, as if he had actually blown away a dandelion.

His henchmen are flying all over the world.

To lie dormant, to take root.

Waiting for the day when, when he needs it, those seemingly dormant seeds will instantly bloom into the bloodiest and most violent flowers.

It became the airborne base of his ruthless bandit empire.

He turned his attention back to the system panel, looking at the requirements for the next level.

One cubic meter of mercury.

Mercury... isn't it just quicksilver?
Lawson wasn't sure about the price of this stuff, but he figured it wouldn't be much more expensive than nickel, and would be well within his budget.

Where does the money come from?

Lawson's lips curled into a cold smile. Weren't those idiots at the Southern Pacific Railroad just about to send over the next pay train?

Didn't the Pinkerton Detective Agency send their so-called elites to protect them?
That money should be enough.

Once obtained, the broken jade can be upgraded again.

Just then, a series of light footsteps approached.

A girl's figure appeared in front of him, blocking the warm sunlight.

"Mr. Lawson, stop in the sun! Dinner's ready, Mom's calling you to eat!"

When Lawson opened his eyes, he saw Lucy's youthful and smiling face.

The sixteen-year-old girl was wearing a simple floral cotton dress.

Perhaps because she had run so fast, her little face was flushed.

Her full lips were slightly pouting, and a few glistening beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose.

Even a simple cotton dress cannot completely conceal the developing curves of a young girl's body.

It was an unrefined, rustic sensuality.

Lawson smiled and got up from the rocking chair.

He stretched, and his bones cracked and popped.

"Okay, I'm hungry."

As Lawson enjoyed the warmth of venison steak and grilled fish at Marlene's dining table.

A massive storm, sparked by him, is sweeping across California at an astonishing speed, according to telegrams.

The line between civilization and barbarism is sometimes separated by only a narrow bay.

In San Francisco, an economic behemoth and the jewel of the West Coast.

The first thing to smell the blood was the newspaper.

"Extra number! Extra number!"

Groups of newsboys surged onto the streets like startled sparrows.

They waved copies of the San Francisco Chronicle, still wet with ink.

"Main County Massacre! Twenty-one law enforcement officers were brutally beheaded!"

"Hell has descended! Irish gangsters declare war on California!"

"A headless horseman has appeared in Strawberry Town! The sheriff is terrified and flees the town!"

A sensational headline.

Printed with the largest type, every letter seems to be screaming.

A well-dressed banker bought a newspaper from a newsboy on his way to the stock exchange.

He only glanced at the front page before his leather briefcase fell to the ground with a thud, scattering its documents everywhere.

In his world, all that remained was that newspaper with "MASSACRE" printed on it and the blurry yet terrifying image of a headless corpse in the photograph.

On the dock.

Irish laborers who had just unloaded a ship full of cargo were gathered together drinking cheap beer.

When they heard the newsboy's shouts and learned the contents of the newspaper from a literate coworker, everyone was stunned.

After a brief silence came a soaring fear.

"FUCK! Which bastard did this?"

A burly man with a full beard smashed a bottle on the ground, shattering it into pieces: "This will kill us all!"

"Americans will arrest us as bandits!"

Panic spread like wildfire through the Irish community.

On this land, the tinder of prejudice and discrimination has long since piled up like mountains.

This horrific massacre was a deadly spark.

In a club in an affluent area.

The gentlemen put down their pool cues and playing cards.

Amidst the swirling smoke of cigars, their discussion shifted away from stocks and business.

"This is a blatant provocation against the law and all the order we have established! It must be washed away with blood!"

"Gallows! Arrest all the Irishmen in Marin County! Interrogate them one by one! Until all those scoundrels are dragged out and hanged in the square!"

"What is the governor doing? Does his office only contain champagne and prostitutes?"

Public opinion was stirred up to a boiling point in just a few hours.

Revenge! It must be tenfold, a hundredfold, bloody revenge!
P.S.: Thanks for your support, brothers. I'm still asking for your monthly votes.

Reading during the initial period of a new book is very important, so please don't let it sit unread.

Once I'm listed, I'll at least give my thanks to my brothers ten thousand times a day!

Shout it out: I need your votes!
(End of this chapter)