1850 American Gold Baron

“God has buried inexhaustible gold in California and guided us, God’s believers, to discover the gold. This gold was given to us, devout believers, by God…

We are all chosen by God!

Now there are people who want to monopolize this gold and push us to the edge step by step. In the name of God, for gold! For a better life! Let’s unite!”

In Sacramento, Liang Yao is delivering his heart-stirring speech.

"We unite!"

"For God! For gold!"

"For a better life!"

...

A tsunami-like echo from the mountains below the stage flooded into Liang Yao's ears.

The citizens of San Francisco have also suffered from Sam Brannan for a long time. Now that there is a man who can compete with Brannan who is willing to stand up for justice, they are also willing to stand up and resist.

Gold was discovered in California, but it was Brannan and his bullshit Sheriff's Committee who benefited from it in San Francisco.

If that was all, they could still endure it. But what the gold diggers couldn't bear was that instead of restraining themselves, these vested interests relied on their monopoly position to raise prices and levy huge rents and miscellaneous donations on the shops.

Selling daily necessities and gold mining tools at low prices completely blocked their upward path to wealth.

"Rousseau once said in the opening chapter of "Contract" that man is born free but is always in chains. Although you may appear to be free, in fact you are all slaves, all of Brannan's mine slaves!

You used your hard-working hands to dig and dig in the soil day and night, and finally found such a pitiful little bit of gold.

But what's the result? All it takes is Brannan's words. Today the price of the gold pan has increased by three dollars! The price of beer has increased by two dollars per pound! The price of bread has increased by one dollar per pound! The gold in your hands can be easily taken away!

Brannan is our shackles! Let us unite! Break free of this damn shackles!"

Liang Yao struck while the iron was hot and continued to fan the flames to light the fire.

Looking at Liang Yao, who was delivering a speech with great passion, Robinson felt very crazy and incredible.

Liang Yao actually easily aroused the emotions of these gold diggers from different places.

Robinson listened carefully to Liang Yao's speech. He used the theories of God's chosen people and abandoned the people, Manifest Destiny, Contract Theory and other theories flexibly.

Liang Yao's speech not only moved people's hearts, but the content of his speech was so profound that it would probably put even the experienced politicians in the east to shame.

Robinson became more and more curious about Liang Yao's experience. Is this a speech that only an eighteen or nineteen-year-old can make?

For a person who has just grown up, Liang Yao is really mature. He even wonders whether Liang Yao is the one chosen by God?

Apart from this explanation, Robinson could not think of any other reason to explain Liang Yao's outstanding personal ability and excessive maturity.

The speech was very successful. Liang Yao successfully established the California Citizens' Committee, and he was successfully elected as the chairman of the Citizens' Committee as he wished.

Because of Robinson's good reputation, everyone at the meeting recommended Robinson as the vice chairman of the Citizens' Committee.

This made the employees of the Boston company very excited.

Robinson himself felt that he was sitting on pins and needles. There were so many ordinary members of the Citizens' Committee that even if the Citizens' Committee failed in this struggle, these ordinary members would be able to escape unscathed.

As Chairman of the Committee and Vice Chairman Liang Yaohe, he has no way out and can only advance and retreat together.

Robinson is now stuck in a difficult position, and can only reluctantly agree to serve as the vice chairman of the Citizens' Committee under the instigation of everyone.

"Please accept my congratulations, Dr. Robinson. Your election as vice chairman can be said to be a success."

After the meeting, Liang Yao congratulated Robinson.

California's current population structure is still dominated by white people, and white people can accept it if the Citizens' Committee has a highly respected white person as its vice chairman.

This situation is what Liang Yao is happy to see. In addition to his extraordinary speaking ability, he can serve as the chairman of the committee because of his strength. After all, except for Brannan, no one in California has the strength to compete with him.

.

It can be said that Liang Yao is the only candidate for the chairman of the Citizens Committee, and there is no other choice except him.

Robinson's appointment as vice-chairman is truly expected by the public.

"I'm not happy at all. Asking me to be the vice chairman is as uncomfortable as putting me on a fire. I just want to be an ordinary doctor."

"An ordinary doctor couldn't save California, Mr. Robinson."

Liang Yao patted Robinson on the shoulder and said meaningfully to Robinson.

"Sorry for disturbing your conversation. Hello, Mr. Chairman, there is something I want to talk to you about."

A young man of similar age to Liang Yao said cautiously, holding a pair of brand new canvas pants in his hand.

"Of course, please come to my residence to talk, and I'll treat you to some authentic Chinese tea."

Liang Yao said goodbye to Robinson and invited the young man to sit in his courtyard.

"I am impressed by your extraordinary speaking ability and personal charm. If California is established as a state in the future, I will vote for you as I did today."

The young man said while looking around Liang Yao's house: "Compared to Mr. Brannan's manor, your house is too simple, but your house is very tasteful and well designed, unlike Brannan, whose

There is always only one theme for the house, and that is gold. I am afraid that people all over the world will not know that it is like gold, and you will be much more low-key."

"I don't think you came to me to discuss residential design issues with me."

Jones clumsily couldn't learn how to make tea, and Deng Ying was away. Liang Yao felt very uncomfortable watching Jones' clumsy and unfamiliar tea-making movements, so he asked Jones to sort out this month's financial statements, and he made the tea himself.

"I am a small shopkeeper in San Francisco. I have a project that I think you will be interested in." As he said this, the young man hurriedly brought the canvas pants in his hand to Liang Yao and asked Liang Yao to take a look.

Liang Yao poured a cup of tea for the young man. The young man took it and drank it with fear. As a result, the tea was too hot and his mouth turned red.

"I can't drink hot tea in a hurry. The tea is too hot. You can put it on the coffee table first and drink it after it cools down." Liang Yao reminded the young man while looking at the canvas pants.

These canvas pants were very strong. Liang Yao put down the canvas pants, then picked up the teacup, blew on the hot air from the teacup, and took a sip.

"Tell me your name and what you think."

"My name is Levi Strauss. I just immigrated to New York three years ago. Your accent makes me feel very familiar. You speak English with a very unique New York accent. Are you a New Yorker?"

"I am not a New Yorker, but the tutor who teaches me English is a New Yorker, so my English will inevitably have a New York flavor."

In his previous life, Liang Yao lived in New York for seven or eight years, so it was inevitable that he would pick up some local accent. Now his English accent is different from what it was more than a hundred years ago. Strauss felt that it would be okay if his English had a strange New York accent.

Strange.

In his later years, he often dealt with all kinds of customers, and speaking with a local accent could also shorten the distance with local customers, making it easier to negotiate deals.

Levi Strauss, founder of Levi's?

"Before you immigrated to New York, were you a Jew living in the German-speaking area?"

Liang Yao looked at Strauss carefully. The California gold rush gave birth to the first batch of rich people in the western United States. Many of the companies founded by these rich people have been around for a hundred years or even longer. Levi's is one of them.

However, with the shipping king Vanderbilt in front and rising stars such as oil king Rockefeller and steel king Carnegie behind, this group of Western tycoons appear dim under the shining stars of these three tycoons and are not so well-known.

"How do you know?" Strauss was very surprised.

"Your English has a strong German flavor. For a shrewd businessman like you, I think he is either a Jew or has some Jewish ancestry."

Strauss, like Sartre, spoke very German English, which was easy to hear.

"You have broader knowledge than Mr. Brannan. It seems that joining the Citizens Committee will be the wisest choice I have made in my life." Strauss sighed, and then he introduced his products.

"Based on my observations in the mining areas these days, I found that the miners' clothes and trousers are in tatters due to long-term wear and tear, and it is very expensive to make new clothes and trousers in California.

So I thought it would be great if these miners could have a set of wear-resistant clothing, so I used some unsalable canvas to find a tailor to make several samples, and the one you have is the best sample among them."

After saying that, Levi looked at Liang Yao anxiously and expectantly.

Strauss, who has just started his business, is now strapped for funds and urgently needs an investment to change his current predicament. Otherwise, he would not have come to Sacramento to listen to Liang Yao after seeing the news about Liang Yao in the newspaper.

speech.

Strauss very much hoped that this young investor would be interested in his project. He had already risked everything to come to California to start a business, and he could not afford to lose.

"Canvas is wear-resistant and is indeed suitable for work clothes. I can consider investing in it. However, although canvas work clothes are wear-resistant, the wearing comfort may not be good. This is also an issue that needs to be considered in the future. If you want your products to sell well, you

Products must be improved, updated and iterated to meet the needs of users, so that they will not be abandoned by the market."

"You are still far-sighted. To tell you the truth, before I came to you with an uneasy mood, I also approached Mr. Brannan. Unfortunately, he was only interested in such lucrative industries as gold mining tools and brothels, casinos and taverns, and was not interested in

I don't plan to reduce or reduce my rent." Seeing that Liang Yao confirmed his idea, Strauss was extremely happy.

Liang Yao sighed softly: "A place with only brothels, casinos and pubs will not have a future. Gold is just an opportunity given to California by God, not the future of California. Only industry is the future of California."

Strauss strongly agreed with Liang Yao's point of view. He was very excited, as if he had found a soulmate who spoke a common language.

"You are renting Brannan's store now?"

"Yes sir, it's just that the rent charged by Brannan is too expensive. Although my grocery store business is not bad, but I have to purchase goods from Mr. Brannan, plus the high rent, I have almost no remaining funds to open it."

New sales channels.

I once tried to find a docked merchant ship and buy the goods directly from the ship owner. This would be much cheaper, but I also paid a price for it. After Brannan found out about this, the people from the Public Security Committee severely punished me.

He paused and warned me that if I was discovered by them again, they would confiscate my shop.

Brannan controls everything in San Francisco, which makes us feel very desperate. But fortunately, God sent you to California to save us." Strauss said happily.

"How are other businesses in San Francisco doing?" Liang Yao asked.

"I am already a relatively good shopkeeper. I think you can guess what other shopkeepers are going through." Strauss shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.

Although Strauss was doing such a prosperous business, it was difficult to survive. It is self-evident what the situation of those shopkeepers with average business was.

"There were no banks in California yet, so some store owners had to borrow money from Brannan in order to make ends meet," Strauss added.

"Brannan has gone too far. I sympathize deeply with your situation. If you are willing, you can now work here and continue your project. Your project has great potential. I am very optimistic about it and am willing to support you."

Give a helping hand.

I have also purchased some land in San Francisco, where I will build a new commercial street where the rent will be very reasonable and some necessary public services will be provided.

After returning to San Francisco, you tell the poor shopkeepers this news. San Francisco will usher in a new era like Sacramento. Let us work together to build a beautiful new California! Build our prosperous new home.

!”

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Historically, Strauss did not come to California so early, so the plot needs to be advanced. However, readers can rest assured that this book will treat historical facts in a non-trivial manner, and will not make random decisions out of thin air.

The revision of this chapter makes my scalp numb. This is yesterday's chapter, not counting today's. There are two more updates today.

Special thanks to book friend 20210827104331452 for the reward and Mingxin Jianjun for his monthly vote support! Thank you to all friends who followed up and voted!