Wild North America 1846

Captain William Richardson had a very good impression of this Chinese young man. He was young and decisive, with outstanding key skills, and he also knew how to establish his own power, which was quite commendable.

Gunslingers in the wilderness are like weeds, growing wildly without anyone paying attention. They may have a brief moment of glory, but they will soon wither in the cold wind before the snow comes.

Richard has the potential to become a different kind of person. If he is cautious enough and escapes the fate of dying in the wilderness or the back alley of a tavern, he can thrive and have a bright future.

Just for this possibility, it's worth taking a gamble.

He really needs Richard's new force to break John Sutter's business monopoly on New Town. Despite the appearance of Fangcaodi, there are only more than 2,300 people in total, which is less than 10% of the total population of New Town.

one.

This limited the manpower that Captain William Richardson could use. If the manpower was exhausted, it would only be about a hundred people. If other captains were to be found to join forces and attack in full force, it would probably be less than 300 people.

Such strength is not enough to defeat John Sutter.

The captains of Yerba Buena control the commercial routes of San Francisco, but John Sutter is not a vegetarian. He has his own sailing team. Both sides have taken a step back in the competition for many years.

The captains no longer attack John Sutter's armed merchant ships. In return, John Sutter acquiesces that the new town's agents can sell the captains' goods as long as they do not cross the border.

In other words, selling outside John Sutter's territory, the two parties reached a tacit balance and temporarily ceased to exist.

In addition to John Sutter, there are three other forces in New Town. The captains of Yerba Buena sell their goods through them, but they have to endure the other party's lower prices, resulting in very unsatisfactory profits.

Over the years, I have been holding a bad breath in my heart.

Now that the two parties had reached an agreement, things went surprisingly smoothly in the next few hours.

Richard inspected the muskets one by one, including 41 9-year-old smoothbore flintlock rifles. Although these second-hand rifles have experienced 37 years of vicissitudes, they are still well preserved and seem to be able to be used for another half century.

The preferential conditions are like the Colt revolver, with 100 rounds of tissue paper loaded bullets free of charge.

The so-called thin oil paper fixed bullets are bullets that use thinner and more fragile oil paper to wrap the black powder and warhead.

When using it, there is no need to use your teeth to tear open the thick oil paper packaging, pour out the black powder, then put in the bullet and compact it, eliminating these steps.

The bullets loaded with thin oil paper can be directly inserted into the barrel of the gun. Under the action of pressure, the fragile oil paper package breaks to reveal the black powder. It only needs to be compacted together with the warhead. It is very convenient to use.

Watching 41 rifles loaded onto the carriage, as well as 27 Colt revolvers, gunner's belts, bullets and other items, the two parties successfully completed the transaction, and Richard was in a good mood.

He had just talked with the French veteran Mr. Russell mentioned. This French cuirassier named Mike Rabiot, a former lieutenant veteran of the French Cuirassiers, was an ordinary resident of Yerba Buena who opened a restaurant in the town.

Bakery selling French baguettes.

Although he is 55 years old, Mike Rabiot is still very strong and talkative, and he doesn't mind making some extra money besides his main job of baking bread.

Rabiot's bakery in the town is run by his three sons and his wife. Even the hired labor is omitted. If you have the opportunity to earn a decent income again, why not do it?

In today's world

The French Army, which once followed Emperor Napoleon across Europe, is undoubtedly the strongest army.

The Cuirassiers are the leader in the French Army. They were once the best cavalry in the world and made great achievements in the establishment of the French Empire.

Time flies

The once glorious French Second Empire has come to an end, but these French veterans who have been through the war are still old and strong.

The Prussian army, represented by the Junker military aristocracy, had suffered enough from the French in many years of fighting.

Prussian officer Decker once said with lingering fear: "If the bullet trajectory is an arc, the French army may rely on ordinary charges to hit 1,000 steps (732 meters) away. The French are experts in this area, and they can injure

Our officers and soldiers, but we don’t know where the bullets come from.”

Normally

The smoothbore rifle under flat-fire conditions can effectively strike enemy targets at a distance of 200 to 300 meters.

The Infantry Manual published in 1807 states:

"The (effective) horizontal shooting distance of a rifle can be estimated to be 260 meters. Beyond this distance, shooting is not sure.

At half the distance, the shooting effect is particularly excellent.

At a distance of 100 meters, the infantry should aim at the target's knees.

For a target 200 meters away, shoot at the enemy's waist. For a target 300 meters away, shoot at the enemy's head.

Target 400 meters away, aim at 32.5 centimeters (about a head) above the enemy..."

In his conversation with Richard, Mike Rabiot revealed these hard goods without any secret, and he was very familiar with the strict military regulations of the French army.

During the conversation between the two, Mike Rabiot spent more than half of the time talking. It was obvious that this old guy was very interested in the position of military instructor, and even more interested in the high salary of US$85 per month.

"...Well, I appreciate your rich professional knowledge very much, and this is exactly what we need. Welcome, instructor Mike Rabiot, and welcome you to join the big family of Datang Club."

"I am very honored for this, Mr. President."

"You can call me Richard."

"You can also call me Mike."

"So...please cooperate! Instructor Mike." Richard took the initiative to reach out and shook the calloused hand of the other party.

Not to mention, Mike Rabiot's hands are as strong as iron pliers. He is more like a blacksmith than a cuirassier officer holding a sword.

Richard asked curiously, but he didn't expect it to be true.

Mike Rabiot was born in a blacksmith family in Compiègne. He helped his blacksmith father since he was a child until he was admitted to a priest's school as a teenager and embarked on the path of a professional officer.

After immigrating to North America, Mike Rabiot returned to his old business. Among other things, the bread oven at Rabiot Bakery was his proud work.

"Dear Mr. Richard, your goods are all packed. Russell Grocery Store is responsible for delivering them to your home. Don't worry, as long as I have the goods here, I will give you a preferential price." Seeing that the carriage was tied firmly,

Russell came over and said with a smile on his face.

Richard put his hand on the brim of his hat to express his gratitude; "Thank you, Mr. Russell, I am very satisfied with this transaction. It is a pleasant experience. I look forward to deepening our cooperation with Fangcaodi in the future. You are always welcome."

Come to Grape Valley as a guest.”

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Richard." Russell suddenly thought that the other party seemed to need an experienced architect, so he turned his attention to Captain William Richardson who was standing aside.

Captain William Richardson understood what he meant, took two steps forward, patted the strongly bundled carriage and said, "Take these goods back first, young man, Mr. Architect should have some fun in the new town.

When he comes back, I will ask him to find you. Maybe... you can level the ground first, which is not difficult."

"Then our in-depth cooperation..."

"We are not in a hurry these days. As long as Datang shows enough strength, it will not be a problem to need any supplies. Let us give each other some time."

"Ok, I agree with your suggestion."

It's almost noon

Richard no longer delayed, politely bid farewell to Captain William Richardson, and the seven of them returned to Grape Valley.

Although the journey was not far, Russell's Grocery Store still sent two escort gunmen to deliver the goods together with the coachman. Together with military instructor Mike Rabiot, the return team grew to seven people.

More than 10 minutes later

As soon as the group arrived at the mouth of the valley, they saw many people gathering in the distance, as if some conflict had occurred.

This made the two white gunmen escorting the goods nervous. They immediately loaded bullets into their guns, prepared for emergencies, and asked urgently, "Master Richard, do you want to escort the goods back first to avoid..."

The white gunman did not say the following words because it was too late for the carriage to turn around.

The group of fierce-looking people surrounding the entrance of the valley, about fifteen or sixteen riders, found that Richard and a group of people were approaching with a carriage, and they immediately separated half of the people and rode over, and quickly took Li Cha away.

The policemen and others surrounded him.

Li Cha saw these people clearly. They were all Chinese gunmen wearing gray and black coats, riding tall horses, with revolvers at their waists and sabers astride their faces. They had a rebellious look on their faces.

Needless to say, I can already guess eight or nine points.

This guy must be a gang thug from the Agreement Hall. They came here for Lin Ada and his party yesterday. I didn't expect the news to be leaked so quickly. It seems that the matter is difficult to solve.

The bodies have been buried, can they still be dug out, washed and returned?

Compared to the Jianghu Gang thugs in the Agreement Hall, there were more people from the Datang Society. Dai Changfu led more than 60 people to block the entrance of the valley, pushing and shouting at each other, but not letting the other party pass.

Although there were many people in the Tang Association, there were only seven or eight people with guns. Facing the fierce and domineering armed thugs, their momentum was inevitably at a disadvantage.

A group of eight horsemen galloped over and circled around the four-wheeled carriage. At first, a man with a scar softened his face when he saw four white men guarding the carriage.

But when they saw Richard and the other three, their expressions became fierce again, and they shouted loudly, "Where are you from? What kind of goods are you sending? Tell me your name?"

"I don't know what to call this good man?"

"A certain company will not change its surname or name. The eldest brother of the North American branch of the Accord Hall, Lin Zhanhao, is called "Brother Hao" by his friends in the world. We are here for our brothers." Lin Zhanhao, a man with a scar, reined in his horse hard.

He turned his head and his eyes paused on the fully loaded carriage, showing a greedy look.

The cargo of this carriage is obviously not food. Judging from the outline of the cargo under the canvas, it seems that it should be mining tools or... guns.

"Great, great, the big dragon head is back."

At this moment

Among the members of the Tang Association who were blocking the entrance of the valley, a reckless guy saw Richard's figure and couldn't help shouting.

The distance between the two sides was only fifty or sixty meters, and the sound came clearly. Richard's expression was stern, and the expression of Lin Zhanhao, the scarred man, changed drastically, and he immediately reached for a gun from his waist...