There are straight trees in the mountains, but there are no straight people in the world.
In a world overflowing with swindlers, those who are swindled are idiots. Hou Fang recalled an old Chinese proverb and was proud of his own wisdom.
Houpang selected only the miners and moved their residences from the city center to the west, near the mines.
The tents in the city center were occupied only by women and a small number of people to watch over them.
Naturally, it was split into two groups.
When Hufan first entered the mine, he could see guards made up of Indians and white people.
‘It’ll be hard for even a decent gang to attack.’
Houpang, who was shocked by the strict security, led his men into the tunnel and began working.
When the day’s work is finally over,
Ryan Hold appeared before the Chinese people.
“I’ll distribute half of today’s portion. But this matter will be kept a complete secret. The same goes for the tunnel.”
Half of the gold you can eat in a day is roughly 70 grams.
In monetary terms, it amounted to $40.
After actually receiving the gold, Hu Fang felt a thrill that made his heart feel like it was going to burst.
‘What a windfall!’
After returning to the tent, Hu Pang buried the gold in a hole in the ground inside the tent.
After three days like that.
Max called out to Hickok and Cody.
“Go to the places where Mexicans gather and spread a rumor secretly. That the Chinese are secretly mining gold and burying it in their tents.”
“Oh, you’re trying to single out Hispanic gangs?”
A wicked smile spread across Max’s lips.
“Both. I’ll handle them both at once.”
< I know it's embarrassing > End
< So it's just a gang >
If a mining company were to directly kill Chinese people, several problems would arise.
First, the damage to the company’s image was inevitable, and this was used as an excuse to criticize the company’s mining and urban monopolies. This could have easily led to intervention by the political world and the president.
Second, the response of the Chinese coming from California. They may regard the company as an enemy and attack it.
The last third was more of a demonstration than a problem. It was a demonstration that the guards employed in the mines were not easy.
In any case, Max’s ultimate goal was to eliminate the organization that would be an obstacle to the future. It was impossible to completely eliminate them, but in order to fundamentally block the establishment of Chinatown, which was their fence, they needed to destroy the center.
The method is the third of the thirty-six strategies of military strategy, murder by tea.
The key is that the dark secret is never revealed.
Max tried to mobilize Mexican gangs for this.
South of the city of Juntu, Colorado.
Hickok, wearing a sheriff’s badge, strolled with Cody around the south side of town where Mexicans were concentrated.
And then he started spreading rumors secretly.
“This is a real secret, but I’m telling you because you’re Cody… Well, since you’re Chinese….”
That night.
This rumor also spread to the tents of one camp.
In the midst of smoke being exhaled by several people at the same time.
A man in his early 20s who was enjoying poker asked, looking up from his cards.
“The coolies are digging for gold?”
A Hispanic man with a moustache. He was Chino Valeras, the leader of the ‘Aios Maniras’.
The man who told the rumor continued speaking.
“The mining company has dug a tunnel in advance, and they say that Chinese people work there. The important thing is that they get paid in gold.”
“With gold?”
“Oh. You said you hid it in a tent. There aren’t dozens of tents, but maybe only one or two?”
“What? Can I just go and get it?”
“Let’s go before the others get there!”
The gang members inside the tent raised their voices in excitement at the man’s words.
At this, the leader Baleras snorted.
“My prediction was right.”
“expectation?”
Baleras continued, fiddling with the cards in his hand.
“The coolies have pitched tents in the city center, where even we can’t enter. And now they’re working in the company’s tunnels? What the heck?”
Flores scanned the room.
“Five Joaquins. That oriental guy who killed Murrieta has been stuck in Kansas all along. And now the mines and the city are monopolized by a company that was created in Kansas. That means that oriental bastard is in the mining company and looking after his own people.”
Joaquin Murrieta, killed by Max.
Surprisingly, in Mexico, he is praised as a righteous man, not a gangster. That is understandable, because the United States is an enemy country that started the Mexican War and stole land. In such a country, Murrieta, who caused trouble, was called a passionate fighter by the Mexicans.
“Anyway, the guy who killed Murieta must be among them.”
“Then isn’t it a bit dangerous…?”
Baleras glared at the man he had just spoken of.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, no. What I mean is···”
Murrieta is a skilled shooter. If he can kill you, doesn’t that mean your opponent is even better?
In fact, rumors about Asians spread like that among Mexican gangs.
“I was just lucky. This is the chance to prove it.”
Baleras clutched the card in his hand.
As I threw the crumpled cards on the table, the man across from me checked his cards and twitched the corners of his mouth.
Baleras asked, turning the table over.
“How many coolie pups are there?”
“There seem to be about 20 women and 25 men.”
‘There aren’t enough pages.’
The Aios Maniras gang consists of only seven members.
Baleras, who had been rubbing his chin, said as he eventually left the tent.
“I must go to Sancho.”
Sancho Linares leads another group.
It wasn’t a gang, but they needed his strength.
*
“You need my help to kill Chinese people?”
Sancho Linares laughed and waved his hands.
The two are friends who grew up in the same neighborhood.
But as we got older, our fates diverged.
Valeras formed a gang, and Sancho led the group in search of work.
“Go back. I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
“I’ll give you half the gold.”
“Oh, how kind you are. I guess you plan on kidnapping Chinese women to fill the bill.”
“Of course, you have to take the loot.”
Sancho glared at Baleras with a sullen look.
“If you’re in the mine, dig for gold. Don’t do useless things.”
“It’s winter anyway. After learning to walk, I don’t do things like sucking my thumb like you do. And I don’t hang out with gangs.”
Baleras brought his face close to Sancho and said:
“The guy who killed Murrieta is there.”
“I’m writing a novel again.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Listen.”
Baleras offered his own logical conjecture. But contrary to expectations, Sancho’s response was cold.
“Do you know how many Chinese people Murrieta killed in California? The white people harassed Murrieta and raped his wife, so let’s say it was revenge. What grudge did he have with the Chinese?”
“……It must have been an eyesore.”
“So they’re just gangsters. No Mexican national heroes.”
“Well, I’m putting up with it because we were friends for a time. If other guys had said that, I would’ve punched a hole in their head.”
Sancho did not back down when Valeras shot sharply.
“Who wants to see who can put a hole in their head first?”
For a moment, the gazes of “let’s live” and “let’s live” intersect,
Then Baleras leaned back and spoke.
“pup.”
“I am an Asian who killed the Five, including a group.”
“You coward. People are going to die anyway. Rather than working like you and dying under someone else, it’s better to live a hot life.”
“Then why don’t you live happily alone? Why do you kill those innocent people?”
“Just be a pastor, kid. You came here for nothing.”
Baleras got up from his seat, spat heavily on the floor, and turned his back. Then he said:
“I’ll bring that Oriental’s neck.”
Sancho watched Valeras leave the tent with his arms folded.
‘The Oriental who killed Murrieta.’
Sancho, who had been mulling over Valeras’ words, soon shook the thought away.
*
– Since it has come to this, let’s do it among ourselves.
Having failed to attract Sancho, Valeras decided to do the job during the day when the Chinese miners were out working.
But who is Max? What he wanted was for both sides to be annihilated in an all-out war.
“Why are you suddenly asking me to wait so annoyingly!”
Cha Hong explained the situation to an excited Houpang.
“They said they were doing maintenance work in case the tunnel collapsed. Oh, and they told us to be careful because someone might be after us.”
At Cha Hong’s words, Hu Pang was concerned about the gold buried in the ground. Unless the tent was made of iron, it would have no ability to stop bullets flying at him while he was sleeping.
“This won’t work. I’ll have to move and build something around it.”
We moved the tent close to a large rock and made a wall out of stones and wood. It was flimsy, but it would be able to stop bullets flying in suddenly.
While working hours were irregular, such as being called out to work at night, Houpang also devoted himself to defending the tent.
The Valeries faction.
“As the days go by, something keeps appearing around the tent.”
“Damn it. They know it’s dangerous.”
After releasing his gang members to scout out the area, Valeras completely revised his plans.
Rather than wasting time and letting another gang take over, they decided to launch a raid.
However, in order to overcome the numerical disadvantage, they had to bring in another Mexican gang that they had no trust in.
It’s a tingle in the back of my head, but isn’t it better than failing at my plan?
Sancho was cautious because he had a vague fear that there might be an Oriental who had killed Murrieta.
Anyway, the two gangs combined to form a force of 17. With the numbers now equal, Sancho had no reason to wait.
– We’re attacking at midnight tonight.
The full moon in the night sky illuminates the earth.
The two gangs, which set out from the south of the city, split up and decided to reunite at their destination.
And there were those who watched their every move with scopes: Max’s intelligence unit.
– We’re finally moving. It’ll take two and a half hours to get there.
– I’m going to report to the captain. You go to Ryan Hold, you go to Peach. Check and relay the rest of the information.
– okay.
Tucker, who was the best at riding, ran towards Max, and the other agents followed him at each section and relayed the situation.
Max’s office inside the fortress.
Tucker opened the door quickly and came in, gasping for breath.
“Poetry, it has begun.”
Max took two revolvers and a rifle. Then he took something out of the safe.
‘It’s finally time to use it.’
Fifty bullets secretly made with Alfredo.
It was a perfect metal cartridge with a centerfire style full metal jacket. It had already been tested several times, but this was the first time it was used in actual combat.
Max, wearing a thick coat, patted Tucker on the shoulder and said.
“Then shall we go?”
Around midnight.
Cha Hong and several others were suddenly drafted out for night work.
There were 15 people left. They took turns standing guard around the tent.
“You’re having a hard time because of that gold.”
“Who said no? I’d rather just do some opium and prostitution.”
“I’m thinking of old Qingli today. I’ll go see the girls tomorrow.”
“Will Houpang give permission? I don’t know when I’ll be able to enter the tunnel.”
It was when the man was whetting his appetite.
From somewhere, torches flew toward the tent.
“S, it’s an attack!”
An urgent cry broke the silence of the night.
Max, who had been watching from afar, let out a long sigh.
“What were those idiots thinking when they threw the torches?”
It’s a tent that’s completely frozen in the middle of a bitter winter.
The torch bounced off the tent, fell around, and soon became buried in the snow, losing its light.
Rather, it only served to arouse the other side’s vigilance, and I couldn’t help but sigh as I wondered who the Mexican leader was.
“Just shoot me, idiots.”
As if they had heard Max’s words, gunshots rang out.
Taang! Taang!
Taang! Taang!
Black powder exploded here and there, and flashes of light appeared for a split second across the tent and the surrounding area.
The gunshots that ring out at night can be heard quite far away, but the only camps in this area are Chinese.
There were no onlookers or anyone to help.
“Kill them all!”
“Were they Mexican kids?”
28 Chinese killed by Five Joaquins in California. If it was Mexicans, the hatred was even greater.
Bang! Bang!
But at some point.
The gunfire that had been so loud stopped.
Reload time.
From both sides, a clanking sound of metal was heard and curses began to be hurled.
He moved his hands and mouth busily.
And then someone started laughing and shooting first. And so another gunfight broke out.
Max and his men watched this scene from several locations, some of them even sharing their opinions while eating popcorn.
– If you keep doing that, you’ll end up dying.
– If we run out of bullets, will we engage in hand-to-hand combat?
– I vote for just retreating. If it were me, I would have just stormed into the tent.
– That’s a stupid way to do it. You should have approached him stealthily with a knife instead of a gun.
– Oh, that’s Captain Max’s technique!?
Starting with these words, a lively discussion ensued with each person asking, “If I were Captain Max.”
– There were three guys on guard duty. If he was the leader, he would have approached them crawling and then slit one of their necks from behind.
– When I make eye contact with the guy who was startled by that sound, I’ll throw the knife.
