Max could see in Brigham Young’s eyes the desire and greed to maintain power.
“Fortunately, there is a way to turn the tide: by punishing the vicious Mormon militia.”
“…… That’s not as easy as it sounds. They have a considerable number of troops.”
Max looked at Brigham Young and spoke calmly.
“Why would I lead these men here?”
Those who threaten his power. Why would he refuse to eliminate them?
Brigham Young began tapping away at the calculator in his head.
*
Max finished the deal.
As we came out of the temple, the surroundings were deserted, as if the crowd had dispersed. The members who had been sitting on one side stood up one by one as they looked at Max.
“I’m staying here today.”
Max mounted his horse and led his men to the inn. Meanwhile, militiamen under Brigham Young’s command began to gather around the temple. These men had no connection with the massacre, but had gathered to protect the temple.
Max, who was staying at the inn, called Colin, Peach, Hickok and others and planned the operation.
“I’ve located the villains and the children. We’ll move before dawn tomorrow.”
– The children are in a village 30 minutes away from here.
It is the stronghold of Isaac Haight, commander of the Iron Brigade, 10th Regiment of the Nauvoo Legion.
He was the mastermind behind the recent Meadows Massacre.
< Half Truth, Half Lie > End
Author’s Note
There are conflicting views regarding the Mount Meadows Massacre.
That Brigham Young gave the order and actually tried to stop it.
And there’s even a conspiracy theory that the incident was orchestrated by the federal government.
That’s why I’m confused too.
I unintentionally complicated the Mormon story.
Moreover, the last few episodes have had more explanations and dialogue than action.
From now on, we’ll try to make the development a little faster!
< The fate given to us >
Colin, a bouncer in a Missouri bar, had a lot of useless information to pick up. If Max knew the future, Colin knew a lot about the past and present.
– Colin, what are Joseph Smith’s brother and wife, the founder of Mormonism, doing now?
– I heard that the younger brother gathered Mormon believers and founded a church, and that the widow remarried a non-Mormon.
– I guess you weren’t on good terms with Brigham Young.
– After Joseph Smith died, there was a serious conflict over his successor. What was it? His name was James Strang? He was designated as the successor, but Brigham Young opposed it, so he led the believers and left for Salt Lake.
James Strang, who claimed to be Joseph Smith’s successor, established the ‘Restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ in Nauvoo, Illinois, which was originally a Mormon stronghold, within a few years. The name was so difficult that it was changed to ‘Restored Latter-day Saints’ and later to ‘Community of Christ’.
In any case, most of Joseph Smith’s family, the founder of Mormonism, supported this church, which led to the church splitting into two groups: the Brigham Young group and the James Strang group.
After hearing the inside story of the conflict from Colin, Max involved them in the massacre in order to check Brigham Young, whose influence would later grow.
“I’m surprised you believed that story.”
“Believe it or not, there’s nothing wrong with Brigham Young. He gave him a way out of a situation where it was obvious the federal government would send in a large army.”
In the original history, a dramatic compromise was reached between the federal government and the Mormons several months later.
However, in the meantime, the investigation into the massacre was delayed due to the outbreak of the Civil War. Later, Brigham Young, conscious of public criticism, brought the case to a close by putting forward one victim.
‘You can never let it be like that.’
In my previous life as a mercenary, the behavior of rebel forces in Africa and the Middle East is similar to that of the Mormons today.
Massacre of civilians disguised as religion.
The villain even killed his colleague Eric and laughed at Jo Yu-gang, who captured him.
The image of the winner laughing at the law and having a relaxed expression still lingers in my mind.
“Let’s get rid of the evil spirits first.”
However, the method was not a typical raid.
A cumbersome operation was needed to rescue the surviving children and eliminate the evildoers all at once.
It was past midnight and dawn, and Max finally woke up after finishing his mission.
“The horse will ride out of the village. Move as stealthily and quickly as possible. And have you packed plenty of food?”
“Old story!”
‘Why don’t you pack something to eat?’
The men who followed Max out of the inn split into two groups and started running after leaving the village.
Max led a force of 20 men to the village where their leader, Isaac Haight, was located.
*
Before dawn, in the village of Pout, inhabited by self-proclaimed quiet and holy Mormons.
Max dismounted and led his men to surround a white-painted brick house.
But instead of attacking, Max leisurely knocked on the front door. The men who had spread out and surrounded the house swallowed and stuck out their tongues at Max’s boldness.
“I am sent by James Strang, the true successor to Mormonism.”
Max brought up a figure who was the antithesis of Brigham Young. Even if they were not related, the name was enough to confuse Haight.
But Max stood aside from the door, as if he was afraid someone might shoot him. The agents looked at him with a look of wonder.
After a while.
The lights come on in the house and the sound of guns being loaded is heard. There are about five or six of them.
Soon, several people approached, but they did not open the front door. Instead, a sharp, wary male voice was heard.
“Who’s out there!”
“This is Max Joe, sent by James Strang.”
“Max Joe… that oriental guy?!”
“Yes. Before I represented the federal government, I was with James Strang. To be exact, I was given a secret mission to rescue you.”
“Are you saying he’s in league with the federal government?”
“Yes.”
The name James Strang and the secret order suddenly appeared. The confused whispering of Haight and his colleagues could be heard from beyond the front door.
“Anyway, the important thing is that Brigham Young decided to get rid of you so he could negotiate with the federal government.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“Last night, a militia was called out around the temple. Except for you, Haight, and your colleagues. What could be the reason?”
It is a force to protect the temple, but it can be interpreted differently depending on how you look at it. In fact, Haight was suspicious of the militia gathering yesterday.
Max made up a series of plausible lies to fool Haight.
“Why would I have given meat only to Mormons on the Oregon Trail? I was helping to unite Mormons under James Strang, not Brigham Young.”
Suddenly.
I wonder if the word integration was effective.
The front door opened and the men with guns appeared. However, they looked terrified as they saw the agents outside pointing their guns at them.
“If you surround us and say things like that, who will believe you?”
“If we were going to attack with this number of people, we would have done it already. Is there any reason to bother talking like that?”
Max, wearing a scarf, stood confidently in front of the gun barrel, giving a sense of reassurance.
Among them, Isaac C. Haight, a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, glared at Max and asked.
“But why did Brigham Young get rid of us? We were just doing as he was told.”
“Brigham Young has one thing in mind. He needs a scapegoat to negotiate with the federal government. He’s trying to cut off the tail.”
Max also outlined Brigham Young’s specific plans.
“Brigham Young agreed to eliminate the four militia leaders responsible for the massacre and to rescue the children and turn them over to the federal government. In return, he would receive some of the Colorado mines.”
“A mine!?”
“That’s why I came to negotiate.”
“Brigham Young is out of his mind!”
“I knew it when you gathered the militia and excluded us. And now you’re selling us out for the mines!”
Colleagues denounced the anger and urged Hate to make a decision.
Max chimed in to help with the decision.
“Don’t despair too much. You just need to take the surviving children and go find James Strang.”
“What difference does that make?”
“It would change a lot. You could be the hero who saved the children from the massacre that Brigham Young caused. At the same time, Brigham Young would be overthrown and replaced by James Strang.”
Knowing the seriousness of their crimes, what they needed was a safe haven.
In that respect, James Strang, who could stand up to Brigham Young, who had driven them into a corner, was the best choice.
Moreover, as Strang’s purpose and justification became clear, Hate and his colleagues’ suspicions began to fade.
‘Captain, your lies are truly outrageous.’
The agents were watching the whole situation, inwardly sticking out their tongues.
Hate and his colleagues seemed to have been taken in by Max’s words, their guns pointed at the floor. Their eyes also changed from despair to hope.
Max continued, trying to drive the wedge in.
“Now is not the time to be doing this. We need to get the kids in the carriage and get out of here. The more troops we can take with us, the better.”
“hmm.”
If he had decided to kill me, he would have done so already.
Moreover, he even advised us to gather more troops.
Hate’s gaze, now free of doubt, turned to his colleagues. When they nodded, Hate’s gaze turned back to Max.
“Where are you planning to go?”
“We’re going beyond the Meadows into Colorado.”
“Meadows···?”
Why of all things? It seems that they are somewhat uncomfortable with the scene of the massacre they committed.
Hate and his colleagues’ faces were distorted.
“It’s a path that takes a toll on Brigham Young. Who would have thought he would pass it by?”
“That makes sense. Philip, you go and bring the children. When they ask why, tell them it’s to protect the children.”
“All right.”
The man with droopy eyes, who looked like he was on drugs, nodded. This saved him the trouble of looking for each child.
The agents looked at Max with renewed admiration.
“Wilden, you go to Major John Dee near the temple, and Dame, you tell Major John Higbee about this. We will rendezvous near the Meadows.”
Having given the order, Haight packed his bags for the long journey. While waiting for the children to arrive, Max spoke to them in a suggestive tone.
“The world treats Mormons as Satan or a cult. It’s heartbreaking.”
“Don’t worry about it. Even if you were once criticized for your inappropriate and immoral behavior, you will eventually be forgiven and understood as time goes by. We did not avoid the fate that was given to us, and the dead followed that fate.”
A situation where Brigham Young and others pass the buck.
In the midst of all this, Hate absolved himself of the massacre by saying it was a just cause, a fateful one.
‘Dangerous beliefs cannot be changed until death.’
When one side of Max’s chest becomes cold.
Isaac Haight smiled wryly.
“One of the men from Lawrence said that you were a dangerous man who had to be killed. He almost attacked you, not knowing that you were in league with James Strang.”
‘Lawrence?’
Suddenly a name came to mind.
But it is unlikely that the name will be used as is.
“What is his name?”
“My name is Ryan Max. I heard you and I are quite close.”
‘……’
The agents looked blank as they repeated Ryan Max. The name William Quantrill naturally came to their minds.
‘There was a rat hiding here.’
Max asked calmly.
“That’s great. I was just missing that guy. So where is he now?”
*
Bringing the children was harder than Philip thought. Haight asked Philip on the horseback.
“So, how many people?”
“You’re not even attached to the kids, so why do you all have so many complaints? Anyway, I brought them all.”
“It’s a shame because they’re the ones who will be raised and used as slaves.”
“Anyway, if it’s free, I can’t help it.”
The founder of Mormonism was an advocate of slavery.
The same goes for Brigham Young. In fact, there were many slaves in Utah, and Brigham Young wanted to make Utah a slave state.
While Philip and Haight were laughing and talking,
Colin and Peach looked into the carriage’s hold.
The closer I got, the more I felt something was off, and it was as expected.
“Ugh. Smell.”
Peach covered her nose and Colin’s eyes twitched.
Children crouching.
It was too cramped for 17 people, but they crammed the children into one carriage to increase the speed.
The surviving children were raised in scattered Mormon homes. However, they were raised in pig pens rather than homes, as they had no proper clothing and their bodies reeked of rot.
The children, who should have been throwing a tantrum at the slightest inconvenience, did not make a sound as if they had become mute.
‘Those guys I’m going to kill.’
Colin, who had heard this, counted the number of people and confirmed that there were 17. Max, who had received the message through Colin’s eyes, urged them to move.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s go.”
Hate, who was walking around the village, looked at his comrades with an intense gaze. His expression was quite serious.
“Brigham Young will regret what he did today! Whatever James Strang thinks, we will have our revenge!”
“Bloody revenge!”
‘Disgusting.’
The perpetrators of the massacre cry out for revenge.
The behavior was so disgusting that it was hard to watch.
Colin, who had been active in helping black slaves escape, was particularly angry.
At the time of departure, there were more than ten people following Haight. If you add the number of people who would join the scattered ones,
“There will probably be about a hundred people.”
‘I have to take care of this before everyone gathers.’
Max was riding alongside Haight.
When we arrived at Meadows Canyon where the massacre took place.
He pulled the reins and stopped the horse.
Hate’s expression hardened as Max slowly turned around.
“Is it really necessary to join here?”
They are in the middle of a crime scene they committed.
No matter how much you try to chalk it up to fate, it seems like you still feel pangs of conscience.
When the faces of the Mormon militiamen turn red.
Max raised his right hand. Then, Colin and his men broke away from the line and surrounded Haight and his men.
“What, what are you doing!”
“Your fate ends today.”
Hate and his men, who grew anxious at Max’s words, began to wave their hands to draw their guns.
But before I could even pull it out.
Taang! Taang! Taang!
The gunshots made by the revolver cylinder rotating 60 degrees echoed through Meadows Canyon.
Another massacre at the site of a massacre.
The blood of the victims, faintly visible traces of their wounds, was covered with the blood of those who killed them.
After dozens of gunshots had stopped, only a dazed Isaac Haight was left sitting on his horse. His hands were punctured by Max’s bullets, and blood was gushing out.
“Dying by gun is a luxury for you.”
Hate, terrified, tried to spurn his horse and run away, but the noose Colin had thrown caught the bastard squarely in the torso.
It was a method of wrapping a rope around a horse’s neck to tame it.
“Ugh.”
As Colin pulls the rope, Hate falls from his horse and falls to the ground.
Colin rode his horse and dragged Hate somewhere.
“I will give you the most brutal death.”
According to the original history, Haight, who was excommunicated from the Mormon Church, was pursued by federal marshals but died a long life. However, Colin’s anger at seeing the horrific massacre and the condition of the children led Haight to an ending different from history.
