Have questions, but don’t doubt.
To Peach, Max was that kind of person.
In order to somehow complete the order, he started pestering the wood seller to get him some wood.
But how many people would readily accept such a crazy demand?
Peach was able to broker a deal with the man by agreeing to pay a commission.
“As promised, I brought five wagonloads of wood.”
The man who got out of the carriage spoke to Peach in a soft, kind voice that was clear to the ear and had a distinct Southern accent.
“Please stack them here so that they can be loaded onto the ship.”
“Okay, but where are you taking these things?”
“Kansas.”
A feeling of uneasiness began to rise in the mind of the man who had been making a blank expression.
“…… Is there any reason to bring wood from here? It must be quite a distance.”
“There are circumstances.”
“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not going to Lawrence, are you?”
The man asked in a low voice, hoping the lumber merchant would hear. The quick-witted Peach also lowered her voice.
“The destination is Greenter Place in Shawnee County, Kansas, and the next destination will be decided by the person who bought the lumber. By the way, the payment will be made when he gets there. He said he would take the first train from Springfield.”
“okay.”
Peach asked the nodding man.
“Are you interested in slavery?”
“There’s nothing in particular.”
“Then what does it matter whether it’s Lawrence or somewhere else?”
“The person selling the lumber thinks it is important. Anyway, if not… then that is fortunate.”
The man who turned his back was certain that, contrary to their words, these men were from Lawrence.
Greenter Place was a Kansas town where supplies were dispersed. If these people were pro-slavery, why would they have come all the way to the eastern end of the country to get lumber, leaving Jackson County, Missouri, right next door?
The man left his uneasy feelings behind, returned to the carriage, and helped the porters get off.
Most of the wood used for foundation work when constructing buildings was used.
Lore and Downey also helped out, and Peach headed back to the station to pick up Max.
*
It was just past noon when Max and his party arrived at St. Louis Station.
“It’s here!”
As Peach waved her hand, suspicious people who looked suspicious to anyone swarmed towards her.
Max, Joe Jim Jr., and the three Lawrences dressed as lumberjacks. They all had their faces covered and their hats pulled down, which drew the attention of those around them.
After some brief greetings, Peach spoke to Max separately.
“Did you find that person?”
“I’m moving wood now.”
A deep smile appeared on Max’s lips.
Even though it was covered by a scarf, Peach could still see the joy in her eyes.
“Who the hell are you? You’re not a lumber merchant, you’re a guy selling firewood on the road.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. Let’s go for now.”
Max led his group to where Downey and Lore were.
By the time we got there, we had separated from the rest of the group and just Peach and I arrived at the place where the lumber had been piled up.
Among the several people resting on the timber, Max could clearly see the man.
A man of about 170cm tall with a stocky build and an unkempt beard.
Max walked towards him.
Meanwhile, the man slowly got up from his seat as the man wearing the scarf approached him.
The woman had a gut feeling that the reason she had come looking for herself was because of this suspicious man.
“This is Max Joe.”
A shiver spread through Max’s entire body through their clasped hands. Then the man asked Max.
“But do you know me?”
‘I know.’
Ulysses Simpson Grant.
Northern commander in chief during the latter part of the American Civil War.
The general who ended the war by obtaining the surrender of Confederate Commander General Robert E. Lee.
and.
The 18th President of the United States and the man whose face will be featured on the future $50 bill.
Max was looking forward to meeting Grant more than Lincoln.
“I heard a lot from my friend.”
“friend?”
“My name is James Harris. He was a mechanic in your unit during the Palo Alto battle. He saved my life.”
Of course it’s a lie.
It wasn’t even certain whether the two knew each other.
But Max weaves a plausible relationship.
James, who served as a mechanic at the Palo Alto depot during the Mexican War. Grant, who was an officer in the same unit.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if James insisted that he was her benefactor.
Grant had to meet, and after searching for a suitable excuse, Max found the intersection of the two.
– Ulysses S. Grant? I’ve heard of him, but I’m not sure…
– It doesn’t matter. Just say that he was your benefactor and that you were grateful at the time.
– What if we dig deeper?
– You say you’re grateful to your benefactor, but it’s out of your nature to ask so many questions about it. And if you’re an officer, how many subordinates do you have under you? James, were you a person of interest?
– What! I did so well in the military.
– Okay, then. We might work together in the future, so brainwash yourself. Think of him as a benefactor.
– ……
As Max had expected, Grant didn’t think much about this, since it was something that could have happened during a war.
Max moved to a quiet place and had a serious conversation.
The goal was to win over Ulysses S. Grant, but the method was more direct than that of Allan Pinkerton.
“I came to you because of a business I recently started.”
“business···.”
A shadow fell over Grant’s face.
When it comes to business, I only remember being screwed, so just hearing those words made my head spin.
Max smiled and spoke, knowing Grant’s condition.
“I’m not talking about investments, I’m talking about jobs. James and I are building a small factory, starting out as a blacksmith shop, but going forward we plan to make all sorts of things that will make money.”
Even after becoming president, Ulysses S. Grant suffered from money problems until the day he died.
What on earth could be the problem?
First of all, it is clear that Grant is not a business entity.
The haste to recover losses often led to people failing to weed out scammers and instead losing their fortunes by getting caught up in them.
Because of his habit of saving up little by little and blowing it all at once, he ended up living his whole life struggling financially and eventually dying.
Still, Max needs Grant.
His strong point is that he cares for his close associates more than anyone else.
It was Grant who, immediately after becoming president, placed many of his close associates in important positions, only to have them get caught up in scandals beyond his control, and his own assets go up in smoke.
Best general, worst president.
Couldn’t this assessment be overturned if Max helped?
“I heard that you have outstanding skills in logistics and material supply as a quartermaster. I plan to pay you a basic salary of $13 per week, and additional performance bonuses in proportion to the growth of the business.”
The salary was neither high nor low. But it was an attractive salary for Grant at the time.
“It will be difficult right now, but when you have made up your mind, come to Lawrence.”
Despite being told the location, Grant nodded, unsurprised.
*
A ship bound for Lawrence.
Peach tilted his head and asked after hearing Max’s story about Grant.
“Would you believe what a suspicious man with his face covered says? I would never come.”
“Well, you’ll know when you see it.”
As always, what Grant needs most is money. But now, he is in an even more desperate situation.
When the new year comes, he starts farming, not only living with his in-laws, but also using slaves bought by his father-in-law and brother-in-law.
Isn’t this a terrible thing for Grant, an abolitionist?
Max reached out to the father, who was in dire need of financial help, to save him from a crisis.
< Those who need financial healing > End
< What is the secret between us >
The return of Charles Robinson and James Henry Lane set Kansas’ political clock ticking again.
The Topeka-Lawrence Commission meets.
A meeting with new governor John Geary followed.
One thing to note is the relationship between Charles and John Geary.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the relationship between the legitimate governor and the fake governor, who was labeled a rioter, was not bad.
The fact that both had worked in politics in California before coming to Kansas, and John Geary’s flexible approach and liberal tendencies were key factors.
Of course, this relationship aroused the opposition of slavery advocates.
In particular, Jones’ successor as sheriff, William Sherrard, was even openly critical of John Geary.
The biggest reason is the warrant request for the Lawrence Trio.
Sherrard insisted that they be recaptured after three months of their escape from Lecompton.
however.
– The request is denied. Also, your appointment as Sherrard Douglas County Sheriff is also revoked.
John Geary attempted to remove Kansas Supreme Court Justice Samuel LeConte and National Guard General Donaldson from office and replace them with his own cronies. These conflicts put Geary’s life in danger.
On the other hand, the return of the harsh Kansas winter forced the Jayhawks and Border Ruffians into a state of truce, partly due to Governor John Geary’s threat to intervene militarily in the event of conflict.
The problem is that as the peaceful days continued, the Jayhawks’ exodus became more severe.
The force, which once grew to 800, now barely maintained the level of 100. The young Jayhawks could not avoid the desertion. To be exact, it was not a desertion, but a return home.
– Captain! I’ll see you on a blooming day!
– I’ll come back on the warm spring breeze!
– Oh, will be back.
– …. You put your thumb up and go away. It’s like you’re making fun of me.
The remaining men were only 38, a single platoon, let alone a battalion. Most of them were sweating it out building a frame with lumber airlifted from St. Louis.
A single-story building measuring 100 pyeong built within the base.
Of the nine independent spaces, Max occupies the largest office.
In the iron stove in the center, firewood burned brightly and spread heat.
Chi-chik, chi-chik.
The kettle on the stove was spewing out steam and water through the gap in the lid, and Max, who was absentmindedly watching this, soon began to draw something on a piece of paper.
“I see you’ve just remembered something. Do you just look at it and think of patents? What was Max looking at just now?”
“Hmm. At that angle.”
Holiday, who was sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, blinked, and Wilson Shannon got up and followed the angle Max was looking at to track the object.
Shannon, who had said she would come before Christmas, arrived a month earlier than expected, and Max arranged for an office in the same building for him.
Holiday also needed an office and took over one of the spaces. Gradually, the building was used as an officetel-like individual office.
Shannon tilted her head and said.
“It’s either a stove or a kettle. But is there a patent for this?”
“Yes. Both have been used for a very long time, but will they develop any further?”
“Anyway, no matter what happens, I won’t be surprised.”
Meanwhile, Max, who had been drawing drawings in his spare time, gave Shannon about 50 patent bombs, ranging from work tools to household goods.
And Wilson Shannon instinctively knew.
As a patent attorney, you can make money by being with Max.
Max, who was fiddling with paper, suddenly looks for something in a drawer. He jumps up from his seat and is holding a sharp awl in his hand.
He approached them with brisk strides.
“Wow, what’s going on all of a sudden?”
“!”
Max grinned and set the boiling kettle on the stove down on the floor as Holiday and Shannon huddled close behind him.
Then he pierced the lid of the kettle with an awl.
Max, who had been examining the small hole, nodded and placed the kettle back on the stove.
“Patent completed.”
“……?”
Holiday and Shannon stared at the kettle, wondering what the heck was patented.
Do that for 5 minutes.
Holiday was the first to open his mouth wide and speak.
“Oh my, the lid of the kettle won’t budge.”
“We’ve released the upward steam pressure through the holes. As you can see, the lid doesn’t rattle or make a sound. The pot does the same. Shannon, get the patent ready. If it exists, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
‘Hey, this is a patent!?’
Shannon, calming her shaking pupils, stared at the drawing of the kettle lid that Max had handed her.
It was just a drawing of a small hole, but the content contained quite a lot of knowledge. The very act of emitting steam through a small hole as water boils was patented.
It’s disappointing that we’ve only thought about making a large hole in the spout of the kettle, and haven’t yet figured out how to release the steam that’s flowing upwards.
“Is this also an idea from Joseon?”
“well.”
Max gave a vague answer to Shannon’s question.
To be exact, it was an idea invented by a Japanese person.
I don’t remember exactly what era it was, but I wonder if it really matters. If it doesn’t work out, just apply for whatever comes to mind.
Max, sitting on the sofa, opened his mouth and stared at the ceiling.
“Buildings keep being built, but the number of people keeps decreasing.”
“I’ll be back when spring comes.”
“Think back to last year. How easy was it to spend a cold winter in a tent?”
Holiday and Shannon each added their own comments.
But Max ultimately found the reason in none other than money.
“It sounds nice to volunteer, but it’s not easy to survive without any money. And what I’m talking about is people who are talented enough to do business with Jayhawkers. What do you need to bring in those people? Money, money.”
“If you keep patenting so many things like this, you’ll become a millionaire in a few years.”
Max shook his head at Holiday’s words.
“Will you get rich just by getting a patent? Even if it’s something new and convenient, the timing has to be right. Anyway, it’s clear that it’ll take time to make money here.”
I’m working hard to build a foundation, but to be honest, Kansas isn’t a good place to make money.
The wealthy during this period were concentrated in California, on the east or west coast, and if you wanted to do business or invest, you had to go there to find opportunities.
But is the door of opportunity really open to Asians?
Because it was Lawrence, there was a good chance that things that were possible there would not work there.
Besides, Max is a mercenary, not a businessman.
I knew the direction, but I didn’t have the knowledge to actually do it.
The solution is to hire capable people.
But this also leads to a vicious cycle of needing money. If Ulysses S. Grant came, it would have been difficult to pay even $50 a month.
‘Is that the only way?’
Max continued, looking at Shannon.
“I need to sell half of my patents. What I need now is cash assets. It takes time from application to completion, so it would be nice if I could get it done in the meantime.”
“Should I go and look for them one by one? It won’t be easy since most of the factories are concentrated in the east.”
“Then, is there no one who can handle this professionally? Someone who can continue to work on this in the future?”
Holiday and Shannon were lost in thought at Max’s question. Finally, Holiday asked.
“If it’s just a simple task, I could hire my cousins in Pennsylvania. But is that all?”
“If possible, it would be good to have someone with a flair for investment or knowledge in that area. I would like to have one person in the East and one in California.”
“Investment… Then I’ll look into it. I’m thinking of going to Pennsylvania soon.”
Holiday decided to bring his wife and children to Lawrence, as it was too late to wait for the Kansas conflict to end.
“I’ll also look into it when I visit the patent office in Washington. You, Mr. Holiday, I’ll look for someone suitable in the East, and I’ll look for someone suitable in the West, California.”
