1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 495 The Principles of Righteousness and Law

Author: fish nest

Chapter 495 The Principles of Righteousness and Law

The sound of gunfire outside Victoria Harbor and the presence of US troops on the border made the 20,000 British and Irish immigrants in British Columbia restless and fearful.

The British colonial authorities in British Columbia knew that Liang Yao and Stevens were not the same kind of people.

The frustrated Stevens could be bought with money, but Liang Yao, who was able to get along well in the military, political and business circles, lacked nothing. Such a person could not be bought with money.

Before coming to British Columbia to take up the post of Governor, Elu thought he knew the Chinese very well.

Based on his personal experience in the Opium War, Yilu came into contact with many Manchu and Han dignitaries and gentry in the Qing Dynasty.

He is short-sighted, timid and fearful, not enterprising, covets comfort and pleasure, likes to smoke opium, likes to live in his own comfort zone, and is afraid of all strange things in the outside world.

This is Yilu's understanding of the Qing dignitaries, especially the Manchu dignitaries of the Qing Dynasty.

It's just that these old perceptions of his don't seem to apply to the United States.

The Chinese who settled in California and the Chinese who lived in the Qing Dynasty seemed to be two different races.

The shortcomings of the Qing people can no longer be found in them.

Canada was the core colony of the British Empire, but British Columbia was not.

Like the United States, the core of Canada's colonies was in the east rather than the west.

Speaking of the Canadian colonies, the British Prime Minister who lives at No. 10 Downing Street first thinks of New Brunswick, Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa on both sides of the St. Lawrence River, not British Columbia.

If the British dignitaries were asked where Vancouver Island is on the British Columbia River, even if they replied that they didn't know, is there such a place? Elliot was not surprised.

After all, there are so many pearls in the Queen's crown that even Queen Victoria herself, who wears the crown, doesn't know how many there are.

Yi Lu looked at Liang Yao's sphere of influence on the map.

Its territory is like a giant snake with its bloody mouth, running through the entire Pacific coast of North America.

Northern Oregon is the giant snake's head with its wide mouth, Southern Oregon and California are the snake's bloated body, and Baja California and Baja California Sur are the snake's tail.

The giant snake's bloody mouth is aimed at Vancouver Island and the Vancouver Plains, which have only been developed since Elliot took office. It seems that it regards these areas as prey and wants to swallow them whole.

In front of Elliot's desk are letters from Victoria Harbor, as well as distress messages sent from Bellingham's stronghold to New Westminster via carrier pigeons.

Driving a gunboat to a port controlled by the British Empire and firing off the cannons openly, such an arrogant and arrogant act made Elu, the governor, unable to remain silent any longer.

Yi Lu decided to set out to meet Liang Yao, to express his attitude to Liang Yao, and to show that the most powerful empire in the world was standing behind him.

He wanted Liang Yao to understand what he was doing now and what serious consequences it would have, and he hoped that the young man could take good care of himself.

On the way to Duwamish (Liangyao City), Yilu saw that the American immigration company was transporting immigrants to settle on the San Juan Islands.

This made Yilu tremble with anger. The sovereignty of the San Juan Islands was not yet determined, and Americans immigrated to these islands so arrogantly. This was a provocation to the authority of the British Empire.

At the same time, he also envied the United States very much. It was very close to the mainland of the United States. After the development of California, the power structure in the Northeast Pacific where the United Kingdom and the United States were neck and neck, with Tsarist Russia second in influence, has been broken.

The current power structure in the Northeast Pacific is that the United States is first, followed by the British Empire. Tsarist Russia's influence in the Northeast Pacific has become negligible with the decline of the Alaska Russian-American Company.

After all, the only players on the poker table on the Pacific West Coast are the British and American ones.

Elliot noticed that the American Immigration Company did not transport dozens of immigrants, but hundreds of people. This made Elliot feel very unhappy.

You must know that after he discovered the geomantic treasure land of Vancouver Plain, in order to develop this geomantic treasure land, he even moved his governor's palace from the safe military fortress of Victoria Harbor to New Westminster, and attracted locals for four consecutive years.

Immigration and colonial companies to colonize British Columbia.

Even so, the population of the entire British Columbia region has only increased by 7,000 people, of which more than 1,000 are Americans.

To the other side, the more than 7,000 immigrants seemed like just drizzle.

In the past few years, Liang Yao seemed to have an inexhaustible manpower mine, frantically immigrating to the west coast.

If we look back in the past, seeing American immigration companies arrogantly immigrating to San Juan, Justice would have ordered the fleet to fire a few cannons to drive away these "illegal immigrants".

But now Yilu doesn't dare, because the American Immigration Company's fleet not only has armed merchant ships responsible for escorting, but also Umbrella Company's gunboats responsible for escorting.

The straight-line distance from New Westminster to Liangyao City is less than 200 kilometers. Even if the waterway is tortuous and requires some turns, the water distance is less than 300 kilometers.

Yilu took a day by boat to reach Liangyao City, which was formerly Duwamish City.

Entering Liangyao City, Yilu felt even worse. Merchant ships from California and Oregon were loading and unloading supplies at the port one after another.

The arrival of new immigrants has injected new vitality into this small frontier town that had once suffered from sluggish industries and poor people's livelihood.

It was already evening when Yilu arrived in Liangyao City, but this small border town did not enter the dormant stage with the arrival of night.

The immigrants were still busy using the light from kerosene lamps and bonfires, either carrying supplies or paving roads and building houses. It seemed that they had endless energy in their bodies and did not feel tired at all.

There is no harm without comparison. It took Elu over more than four years to barely build New Westminster into a small city with a population of less than 10,000.

The city is still dilapidated. Except for the Governor's Palace and the headquarters of several colonial companies, New Westminster is just a few simple wooden houses without much flavor of modern civilization.

A very important part of the reason is the quality of immigrants. The English, Scottish, and Irish immigrants in British Columbia were not refugees before they immigrated, but criminals and vagrants who were idle on the streets and were idle.

It is indeed very difficult to expect these people to build British Columbia, but Yilu does not have many choices.

Compared with the vast colonies, the core population of the British Empire was still too small.

"Governor Elliot, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Liang Yao welcomed the British governor at the old governor's palace.

This place has now been transformed into the temporary city hall of the Liangyao City Government.

"Your Excellency marched on the border, sailed warships to our port, fired cannons and demonstrated, and besieged our settlements. Are you showing off your force to the British Empire?"

As soon as they met, Yilu asked sharply.

"Your Excellency Governor, where are you talking? I, Liang, have not overestimated my capabilities to such an extent that I wielded a sword or a gun in front of your country." Liang Yao squinted his eyes and stared at Yilu.

"Besides, I can't afford these unfounded charges."

"Isn't it true? So, I have wronged you?" Yilu said displeased.

"Your Excellency has indeed wronged me. We are acting entirely in accordance with the "Oregon Treaty" signed with your country in 1846." Liang Yao said without being humble or overbearing.

"The Treaty of Oregon stipulates that the United States and the British Canadian colonies are bounded by 49° north latitude. Our personnel are gathering on our own territory. What is wrong? If your country even controls this, it would be too broad.

Alright."

Yilu was speechless for a moment. As an important member of the British Empire, he was used to being arrogant and domineering. He had a powerful mother country behind him to support him. Taking advantage of it or not was not that important to Yilu. For the British Empire, he would gain more for himself.

More benefits are the most important.

As for reason, wherever the British gunboats reach, there is reason.

It's just that the British gunboats here don't seem to be as strong as the United States, and Yilu has to reconsider what he thinks is the truth.

"Then what about your country's warships firing cannons outside Victoria Harbor? What's the explanation for this?" Yi Lu continued to criticize, he sneered.

"Is this also in compliance with the Oregon Treaty?"

"Exactly, as the Governor of British Columbia, Your Excellency Yilu must have checked such an important boundary treaty, right?" Liang Yao asked rhetorically.

For the Governor of British Columbia, the Treaty of Oregon was the most important border treaty, and it was impossible for Elysian to be unaware of the existence of this treaty.

When Elliot sent people from the British Colonial Company to settle across the border, he was just pretending to be confused and taking advantage of the fact that the United States still had no control over the northern Oregon region.

The Columbia Plains that the British refer to are, in a geographical sense, the plains downstream of the Fraser River.

The plain belongs to the British side to the north of 49° north latitude, and to the United States to the south.

The Bellingham stronghold where the British illegally settled began in the lower Fraser River plain area south of 49° north latitude.

Since taking office, Justice has attached great importance to the development of the so-called Columbia Plain (the lower Fraser River plain). The purpose of illegal cross-border immigrants has been clearly revealed: an attempt to occupy the entire lower Fraser River plain.

It's just that Yilu didn't expect that Liang Yao would go north so quickly and expel Stevens' forces from the west coast into the inland areas so quickly.

"According to the Oregon Treaty, the waterways south of 59 degrees north latitude are open to both Britain and the United States. Since the Governor is familiar with the treaty, this must be clear to the Governor." Ge Wen also tortured Yilu.

"You have occupied the waterway for a long time and obstructed the normal commercial activities of our American merchants. How do you explain it? Our ships are exercising in the waterway to protect the rights and interests of our citizens. It is also forced by you and is a last resort.

"

Gwen threw all the responsibility to the British side.

(End of chapter)