‘The Civil War was an opportunity.’
A rare opportunity to gain wealth in life.
The wealthy who move the world economy are also born during this time. Giants such as Rockefeller, JP Morgan, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt laid their foundations during the Civil War.
Railways, finance, oil, steel···.
but.
‘If I jump in, will I be better than them?’
Even if they had knowledge of the future, mercenaries and businessmen had different temperaments. Knowledge learned from books had limitations.
So the conclusion I came to was to do what I was good at.
The body of Imaksan and the spirit of Jo Yugang.
That’s how Max Joe was created.
The meaning is different, but it seems like you can do anything when you form the Trinity.
‘First, let’s get my abilities back.’
Recover stamina, improve physical abilities and weapons, and build up some power before the Civil War breaks out.
That would require money…
‘This is a total rip-off. As expected, the bounty is quite lucrative when it comes to money.’
It’s unlikely you’ll find anyone like that in Leavenworth.
Max and James took only the immediate items out of the carriage and carried them into the house.
After roughly organizing everything like that, it was already 11pm.
Max lay down on a buffalo hide spread on a hard frame without a mattress.
Then he began to write something down in a rough notebook under the oil lamp.
‘Let’s write it down every time we think of it before we forget.’
Recording the knowledge in your head is as important as eating meat.
As soon as they arrived at the inn, Max asked Mary to buy him a writing utensil, and every night before going to bed, he wrote down his memories in a notebook.
Even if someone reads it, they won’t be able to understand it because it’s in Korean, and even if they do read it, it’ll be impossible to interpret because it’s mixed with slang.
The James family lives on the second floor,
Max occupies an empty room on the first floor.
A quiet night.
Creak, creak.
‘I guess Cornel will have a younger sibling soon.’
Max, lying down to sleep, frowned and covered his ears at the sound coming from upstairs.
*
“Whew. It’s so cold.”
It feels like it’s minus 10 degrees.
Max left the house early in the morning and started with some simple stretching.
Now that you have proper food, clothing, and shelter, it is time to start seriously training your physical strength.
The rising sun bathed the plains, and Max began to run around the house.
“It’s perfect for a snack.”
A completely different time and place.
A youth regained at a time when he was on the decline as a mercenary.
Even if you don’t raise it, a sense of pride will naturally rise up in your heart.
“Ahahahahahahahaha!”
A loud laugh escaped Max’s mouth, along with boiling enthusiasm.
Knock knock knock.
Mary, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, stopped using the knife and looked out the window.
“He’s not normal either.”
Why on earth do you laugh while running? Like a crazy person.
Mary shook her head and finished cutting the vegetables.
Meanwhile, Max, who was working as a janitor, stopped in front of a warehouse a little distance from the house.
‘There’s no door.’
But a smile appeared on Max’s lips as he entered. It was exactly the place he had wanted.
The warehouse built for the ranch appears to be at least 300 pyeong in size.
The already cold winter of December.
With just a little bit of maintenance, it would be perfect for exercising in.
Moreover, there was ample water available from the well built next to the warehouse, so there was no problem in building a blacksmith shop.
‘I have to write this here.’
A revolver and bullets. Max was wondering which one he should tackle first.
Author’s Note
The term Border Ruffian originally appeared a year later, according to historical records.
In terms of the time period of the story, they were closer to an organization called the Blue Lodges, but they were pro-slavery advocates who operated on a regional basis.
And those of them who crossed over to Kansas and caused trouble were called Border Ruffians or Bushwhackers.
Although they are similar organizations, they are sometimes called by several names.
To avoid confusion, I will try to refer to them as unified as possible.
I hope you had fun today
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Thanks for reading!
smithy
As Max looks around the warehouse.
James approached Mary quietly as she prepared breakfast.
Then he gently pulled her in from behind.
“Oh my! Why are you up so early?”
“I’m going to try going to the blacksmith shop. I need to get used to the employees’ faces and work as early as possible.”
Although it wasn’t his official day off, James decided to start work the day after he arrived.
“That’s what George said?”
“No. I have to do that myself. By the way, Max is full of energy.”
“If you come in like that, you’ll be looking for meat again.”
James burst out laughing at Mary’s words.
After a while.
Even though the temperature was well below zero, Max came home sweating.
“It’s been a while since I ran, and I really want meat.”
“What are they?”
Mary said as she set the food on the table.
“Wash up. Eat breakfast.”
“What about Cornel?”
“You must be in dreamland. How about waking up Corny and running together starting tomorrow?”
“indeed.”
“Will it be hard?”
Max woke Conil up so he could have his first meal in his new nest.
James went to work and Max helped Mary and Cornel tidy up the house.
We moved the belongings in the carriage and checked to see if there was any room for repairs.
If you look at the history of Leavenworth, a pioneer village, the houses were not built very long ago.
But even so, it’s made of logs.
With winter over, there seemed to be quite a bit of work to be done.
Mary sighs as she looks around the kitchen, making a list of what she needs.
“There are so many things to buy.”
“Among them all, I need to eat something urgent. I want to eat meat.”
“What did you eat for breakfast other than meat?”
“That’s not enough.”
Mary continued, looking Max up and down.
“Still, you’ve gained some weight since the beginning. Was the cooking I made that delicious?”
“…… Anyway, I need to gain at least 10kg more. Please eat a more fatty diet.”
Mary began to write down the things she wanted to buy in the city, making a sound like she was going to buy meat.
That evening.
When James returned home, his shoulders were hunched. Unlike the morning, he looked listless.
Of course, given his personality, he didn’t show it to his family.
“How was work? Are people okay?”
“What are you making there, Dad?”
The hat peppered the questions, and James answered them one by one with a smile.
“There are three more employees besides George. They are younger than me. It’s the first day now…
“We’ll need to wait a little longer to become closer.”
“You’re not being prejudicial, are you?”
James chuckled and shook his head at Mary’s words. But to Max, it seemed like Mary had the right idea.
‘Human relationships are the most difficult.’
Max didn’t ask James about the blacksmith shop. He just ate the food.
*
The next day.
After working out all morning, Max decided to visit the blacksmith shop where James worked in the afternoon.
Maybe that’s why Mary hurried her lunch.
“Max! If you’re going to Mydarling, could you take this with you?”
“My darling… Anyway, what is it?”
“Lunchbox of Love!”
“Oh my.”
A treasure trove after failure in California and a 3,800 km long journey.
The happiness was clearly written on Mary’s face. Of course, it was because of James’s expression yesterday.
Max clicked his tongue and accepted the food Mary had prepared. It was fortunate that he had an excuse rather than having to go to the blacksmith shop out of the blue.
Slowly, slowly.
By the time I reached the blacksmith shop on horseback.
A group of people were gathered together, talking over a rifle.
George, James, and three other white men who looked to be in their mid to late twenties.
The curly-haired man in particular glared at Max with a suspicious gaze.
‘Open your eyes wide.’
“What is Max doing here?”
“Mary asked me to tell you this.”
James accepted the lunch box with a happy smile.
“The couple’s love is really good.”
“It’s all thanks to George.”
“What about my merits? By the way, I heard you started working under that guy named Holiday?”
George asked Max.
“That’s what happened.”
“Levenworth is one of those places, but Lawrence is also a troubled town these days. Be careful.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Max bowed his head slightly.
Holiday warns Leavenworth, and George warns Lawrence. The entire Kansas town is embroiled in conflict.
“But, what is an Asian doing here?”
A curly-haired white man spits and asks.
I think he must have been the one who made James’ shoulders slump.
“This is Max Joe. He’s here with my family. Max, this is Martin, Brett, and Hollen, who will be working with me in the forge.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“The Chinese have now advanced this far.”
Curly-haired Martin clicked his tongue and made a displeased expression.
Of course, these are now familiar reactions to Max.
Although his words and actions were irritating, I decided to leave it at that for a while.
Max ignored Martin and looked at the rifle George was fiddling with.
“What’s the problem?”
What kind of discussion would they have had with the rifles in the middle instead of working in the blacksmith shop? Especially since there were five more rifles next to them.
“I had it repaired at Fort Leavenworth.”
“It’s the standard rifle used by soldiers.”
George nodded, raising his gun.
“The barrel and chamber are causing problems, so I bring them in every month.”
“Want to see Max too?”
“What would an Asian know if he saw it?”
Martin sneered at James’ words.
Whatever.
Max accepted the rifle calmly.
“It’s a Springfield M1842 musket rifle.”
This gun was used until the Civil War.
“A muzzle-loading gun that loads gunpowder and bullets into the barrel. In addition, it is the last smoothbore gun without rifling in the barrel.”
“last?”
“…… First of all, I have never heard of the models that came out later.”
Max answered George’s question vaguely.
Then he inserted the trigger into the barrel.
It feels like something is stuck inside.
Max knew the cause.
Because the problem occurred because the warhead was made entirely of lead.
“Lead is soft and has a low melting point. So when firing, it has the effect of soldering the inside of the gun barrel and the barrel, which is why this problem often occurs.”
“Wow, you know a lot about that.”
“Hey, that’s something everyone knows.”
Martin snorted at George’s words.
‘I guess I’ll have to get hit to come to my senses.’
Max’s eyes darken,
Martin wouldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Don’t tell me what everyone else knows, tell me the solution. Oriental friend.”
Solution? Of course there is.
That’s why I came to the blacksmith shop.
There are many things I want to make, but there is an order to things. The first step was to improve the warhead.
Max stared at the grumbling Martin.
“You just have to make the warhead different.”
“You’re not saying we should make it out of gold or silver instead of lead, are you? You wouldn’t be that stupid, right?”
If the specific gravity of water is 1, then that of lead is 11.3.
Lead warheads will still be made of lead in the future, as they have the advantages of being heavy for their size, cheap, weak, and easy to process.
‘Anyway, what should I do with this guy?’
Judging by James’s distorted expression, it was clear that Martin was being territorial.
For some unknown reason, George was stuck in the middle and just stood by and watched.
‘I might as well solve it while I’m here.’
It’s all for James and myself.
Max approached Martin.
And then he brought his face closer.
“Are you perhaps thinking of something stupid?”
“…… What? This kid, wants to have a fight?”
