“That would be good.”
Shannon had just returned to her office with the patent drawings that Max had created.
“But why are you in such a hurry? It seems like it’ll be resolved with time, but you’re doing it in a hurry. Is there another reason?”
When the two were left alone, Holiday asked.
Max poured two cups of coffee from the kettle and sat down on the sofa.
Then he handed one to Holiday and said.
“Let’s have a serious business talk for the first time in a while.”
“What else have we talked about so far?”
“It’s different. What I’m going to talk about now is about our future.”
“future?”
Holiday blew on the hot coffee and brought it to his lips.
“What? Is there a future?”
“I know where the gold mine is.”
“Pfft!”
Holiday, who had his mouth burned by hot coffee, kept dropping the cup on the floor.
“What are you talking about, you idiot?”
“Hey, hey. Oh, I think my tongue is burnt. Oh, you’re saying that all of a sudden!”
Holiday wiped the coffee spilled on his clothes with a handkerchief. After roughly cleaning up, he looked into Max’s eyes and opened his mouth.
“……Really?”
If someone else had brought up the gold mine, I wouldn’t have asked this question. But it was Max.
It was Max who had never once uttered a word of nonsense before.
“I have a rough idea of the location.”
“Oh, where is it? No, don’t tell me. This must be kept a secret.”
“What is the secret between us?”
Max opened his mouth with a smile.
“It’s western Kansas.”
“West, isn’t that where the Cheyenne tribe is?”
“Do you know where Commander Sumner went? In a few months, we’ll be at war with the Cheyenne.”
“That’s right. That’s why I left Fort Leavenworth.”
The area that would later become Colorado, now part of the Kansas Territory, was home to an Indian tribe called the Cheyenne.
But a year ago.
The Cheyenne raided the Oregon Trail, a major migration route between the East and West, killing dozens of white people.
In retaliation, Commander Sumner plans to lead his troops westward, and the Cheyenne are once again destined to be pushed to another region.
However, the few gold mines that Max knew of were hidden in the area of present-day Denver, Colorado, occupied by the Cheyenne tribe.
Holiday gulped.
“The problem is that the process for us to take possession of the gold mine is quite cumbersome.”
“Right. First, I have to own the land, and I have to complete all the legal procedures. More importantly, I have to protect the gold mine from outlaws. This is actually the hardest part…”
Holiday suddenly stops talking and stares into Max’s eyes.
“You, is this the reason you trained Jayhawks?”
“It’s a matter of humility.”
“Wow, seriously! You’re crazy. You’re crazy. What the hell is going on in your head!”
Holiday wiggles his butt and looks around as if he’s trying to see into Max’s brain.
In the history of the Yuan Dynasty, it was discovered in 59 AD, two years and six months later, and as early as 58 AD, people began to discover gold.
So shouldn’t we be faster than them?
His proposal to meet Horace Smith and exchange patents was also intended to protect the gold mine based on the advanced weapons.
The second gold rush: the Colorado gold rush.
It established its foundation in Lawrence and continued on a solid financial footing through the Civil War and the subsequent Gilded Age.
It was Max’s plan.
“Before you can hit the gold mine, you have to make a deal with the United States and the Kansas Territory to secure mining rights.”
“I guess that’s how it’ll be.”
“In California, they charge $4 a month for a foreign miner’s license?”
“That’s right. It was $20, but it went down a few years ago.”
The foreign miner license is a California law designed to keep out immigrants from Mexico and China.
It was white people who did not want their profits to decrease and imposed huge taxes on foreign workers.
Eventually, Mexicans who could not endure it returned to their home country. On the other hand, Chinese who had no way to return ended up living in poverty, mixing with brothels in the shadows of California cities. America’s first Chinatown was a place where the joys and sorrows of the Chinese people were mixed.
It is easy to imagine how white people would react if Max, an Asian, were to obtain a gold mine. This was a complex matter involving interests that went beyond permanent residency.
‘To avoid this.’
There is a need to establish two companies.
One is ‘Max Investments’, owned by Max personally, and the other is ‘Mineral Explorer’, a mining exploration company led by white people such as Holiday, James Harris, Fitch, and Colin.
Applying a modern corporate governance structure, it was necessary to create a structure where the mining exploration company would be at the forefront and profits would be controlled by the holding company, Max.
Holiday looked at Max with a blank expression.
“What on earth have you been doing in Joseon? Fighting or studying business? It must have been hard even if you were educated in the womb.”
“Anyway. Holiday, talk to Shannon and set up the company. Make a deal with Governor John Geary and work with him to keep it out of the federal government’s hands.”
To do that, John Geary needs to stay in office as governor for as long as possible.
‘So far so good.’
In the presidential election held a few days ago, Democrat James Buchanan was elected.
John Geary’s role in calming the Kansas conflict was also instrumental.
So, in the current situation, there was no reason for him to be dismissed.
However, the actions of the pro-slavery advocates around John Geary were unusual. In particular, William Sherrard, Jones’ successor, whose relationship with Geary had become serious, was even planning to assassinate him.
*
December, the end of 56 years.
Governor Charles came to see Max.
He smiled and handed Max a piece of paper.
“I finally got my permanent residency. I’ve had a hard time living as a ghost.”
“Can you see me now?”
“It looks very good.”
Charles burst out laughing and patted Max on the shoulder.
“Do you know who gave you this document?”
“well.”
“Governor John Geary. Well, it’s from the state of California, so there’s nothing strange about it. But he asked me this favor.”
Charles continued, looking into Max’s eyes.
“Governor John Geary has requested personal protection.”
The second governor’s bodyguard after Governor Andrew.
“I understand. If we want to maintain the current status, we must not be assassinated.”
From political stability to gold mines in Kansas.
John Geary’s life was worth it.
Max willingly,
I decided to send Colin.
“Me!? In Recompton?”
“Then shall I go? To the Oriental? To Lecompton?”
Colin started to pick off five of the remaining men, muttering softly.
< What's the secret between us > End
Author’s Note
In 1850, foreigners had to mine for gold in California.
They said that they had to pay $20 a month for a ‘foreign miner’s license’.
But this amount is too large, so next year it will be $4,
After that, it is said that it went down to 3 dollars.
Separately from this, in the process of mining and selling gold,
I tried looking up how much tax I pay, but I just couldn’t find it.
So the idea is that before the Mining Act of 1872 was enacted in the United States,
I wonder if there are no taxes imposed on individuals.
If there are any readers who know, please give me the informationㅠㅠ
< Why do you only come here >
Capitol Hill, Lecompton, the seat of government for the Kansas Territory.
John Geary, a man barely two meters tall, sat at his desk, writing a letter to be sent to Washington.
At this point, Secretary Stewart spoke up. He was one of the aides brought in by John Geary himself.
“There are less than three months left in the President’s term. Do you really think it’s worth sending a letter?”
“The people have changed, but the party has not. My goal is to inform the members of the National Assembly about the current situation in Kansas.”
What can we learn from newspaper articles full of lies and incitement?
John Geary wrote a letter detailing the threats and injustice he felt during his brief stay in Lecompton.
[I became aware of a wicked plot to make Kansas a slave state for their own benefit.
The conspiracy included former Missouri senator David Rice Acheson, two judges Samuel LeCompte and Sterling G. Cato, Secretary of State Daniel Woodson, prosecutor A.J. Jackson, National Guard General Israel Donaldson, and territorial surveyor John Calhoun.
The seats they stole through fraud are being used to fill the Kansas territory for their own greed, and not only are they sabotaging my policies, they are now attempting to assassinate me···]
John Geary tried to inform Washington of the pressure he was under, even listing specific names.
If there is a difference from the original history, it is that the names of those who died at Lecompton are missing.
Geary sealed the letter and gave it to another secretary, James Cook, who was one of the early settlers in Lawrence.
“Please send this from Lawrence, as Recompton is dangerous.”
“All right.”
As James Cook was packing up his letters, Stewart, who was standing next to him, asked:
“But when is the Oriental you were talking about coming?”
“Max will be here shortly.”
“is it so?”
John Geary also expressed interest in Cook’s remarks.
I was finally able to meet an Asian I had only heard about.
“I will discuss this matter separately.”
Do we really have to have a one-on-one discussion? People showed signs of displeasure and left the room.
When the two were left alone, James Cook opened his mouth.
“Max will be visiting the official residence this evening. He said he will be disguised as Recompton to hide his identity.”
“disguise?”
“Not only is he Asian, but there are many people here who want to kill Max.”
So he says he’ll pretend to be black.
It was a reasonable thought, since the people who cleaned the embassy and took care of the food were black.
That evening.
An office in the official residence where the governor resides.
In the smoke-filled room, a poker game was in full swing. It was Colin and two agents who were guarding the governor. The only thing that stood out was that they had spots somewhere on their faces.
“So Captain Max was trying to lure the Border Rufians towards the river and deal with them.”
“I guess I was the one who lured him. That guy was the one who put the spoon in.”
“So how many of the twelve did Colin kill?”
“well.”
“Wow, you were so out of your mind that you couldn’t even count the numbers. Well, it must have been quite nerve-wracking to hide behind a tree and take out the enemies.”
Colin’s eyes lit up as he hid his cards in his palm.
“The sound of leaves rustling underfoot in the darkness. When I thought he was coming closer, there was a sudden silence. Did he notice? Will he jump out now? The tension at that time was incomparable to when he showed his cards. So… what are you?”
“…… It’s 8 won.”
It was when Colin held out his pack with a sinister smile.
Suddenly.
Suddenly the door opened and the agent who was supposed to guard the hallway was standing awkwardly in front of the door.
A gun was pointed at his head.
“What, what is it!”
As the agents were about to draw their guns, the face of the one aiming the gun suddenly popped up and shook his head.
“If you move, you will fall behind.”
“Is this black bastard crazy?”
It was absurd and shocking to see a black man suddenly appear with a gun and take a hostage.
As the crew shouted excitedly, Colin’s eyes, which had been rubbing, grew wide.
Then he hurriedly swept his hand across the table, trying to clear the cards away.
“Stop moving.”
Colin bowed his head and grumbled, and Daewon shouted with a bewildered face.
“What, what are you talking about, you crazy bastard.”
“Stop that fucking action, that’s what our captain usually says···!”
The heads of the agents who had been startled for a moment shook and began to closely examine the black man’s facial features.
“no way···.”
“Yeah, that’s me, boss.”
“!!!”
Max, who had released the hostage, shook his head and sat down at the table. The agents moved quickly and lined up next to him.
“What’s the situation?”
“Nothing has happened yet. During the day, there are two people in the office, and in the evening, like today, two people take turns guarding the door.”
I didn’t ask for it, but Colin made it clear that he was working hard.
Max also had checked the security situation before coming, so he wasn’t very dissatisfied.
It would be a problem in a day or two, but having all the personnel involved and being on edge every day was a waste of energy and energy.
“Who should I watch out for?”
“William Sherrard, who succeeded Samuel Jones. He had quite a few complaints, including refusing to issue arrest warrants for the Lawrence Three and revoking his appointment as sheriff.”
The little Max knew about John Geary was that he was involved in Sherrard’s death and had to resign as governor.
‘The Sherard who tried to kill ended up getting killed, and this incident became the cause of his resignation as governor.’
This led to the inference that John Geary or one of his associates was connected to Sherrard’s death.
“Even if you see me, you pretend not to notice me.”
“Are you going to act like a slave again?”
“I knew it. Anyway, you guys pretend not to know me.”
“Old story!”
Max got up from his seat and left the room, telling himself to take care of himself. Then he knocked on John Geary’s door.
*
“This is Max Joe.”
“Disguising yourself as a black person is quite the daring move. It’s like John White Geary.”
After shaking hands, John Geary guided Max to the sofa. There was a height difference of about 10 centimeters between them and Max, who had grown rapidly in the meantime.
“I have listened to your story until my ears are sore.”
“I don’t think there were any good words coming out of Recompton.”
“I met Colonel Sumner before I came here. He was not the type to praise you, but he spoke highly of you.”
John Geary was discharged as a colonel at the age of 30. A hero of the Mexican War, he was a close friend of Colonel Sumner, who had served in the war with him.
That’s why I went to Sumner to get advice before coming to Lecompton.
He had told me about the situation in Kansas before the Cheyenne expedition, and much of it was about Max. And with Wilson Shannon, Charles, Lane, and others adding to the story, I had a lot of information about Max in my head without having to look through the newspapers.
After the exchange of greetings, John Geary poured out his worries as if he had been waiting for them.
“At first, I tried to take an objective stance between slave states and free states. But the last fraudulent vote and the intervention of slave states have gone too far and are disgusting. If you were me, what would you do next?”
Is it normal to ask something like that when you first meet someone?
A glance at John Geary’s serious face revealed the mental conflict and distress he had experienced in a short period of time.
“If it were me, I would start by eliminating the biggest threat, William Sherrard.”
“I want to do that too. But I have no justification. I can’t kill you for criticizing me. Sometimes I think, isn’t the slave state’s inciting Sherard just to bring me down?”
