Wild North America 1846

The sound of horse hooves came from the distant valley. Richard looked up, stood up, walked to the side, untied the reins from the hitching post, jumped on the horse, and shouted;

"drive……"

The strong horse began to trot along the hillside, and only started to accelerate when it reached the mountain road at the bottom of the valley, with its hooves flying and galloping away.

Standing on the hilly plateau at the entrance to Grape Valley

You can see the towering European-style building roofs in Fangcaodi a few kilometers away. If you have a monocular in your hand, you can even see whether the men coming out of the town have beards.

eastward direction

It is an open and unobstructed area. You can see over ten kilometers away. There are green grass on the gently sloping hills, and there are large patches of shrubs dotted among them. There is a rugged dirt road extending into the distance.

This is the road frequently traveled by gold prospectors, leading to the American River several 10 kilometers away.

This dirt road can pass four-wheeled carriages. There is a three-way intersection ahead, and the branched road leads to the direction of the new town.

It was about 5:00 p.m.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and a group of more than 30 horsemen escorted more than a dozen four-wheeled carriages back. The carriages were filled with Chinese gold diggers who showed joyful expressions, and the excitement was palpable.

These were all gold prospectors who had made great gains along the American rivers. They returned to the Grape Valley in horse-drawn carriages. Their bodies were filled with a day's harvest of gold sand, and even large and small pieces of gold. It was no longer safe to continue sleeping in shacks by the river.

Already.

And those who did not return obviously did not gain much, so they had little profit.

Richard galloped over on horseback. The captain of the cavalry group that Datang would be responsible for escorting was named Gao Shiheng. He was also one of the four gunmen who initially followed Richard. He was a highly skilled and experienced man and was a highly trusted subordinate.

Gao Shiheng and two riders left the convoy to meet him. He slowed down his horse halfway, and when he saw Li Cha, he saluted with his cowboy hat on his hand.

"Da Longtou, the brothers are all back."

"How's the situation along the river?"

"Today was okay. Several groups of whites and Mexicans came to harass them, looking for fat sheep to attack. The largest group was seven or eight cavalry, but we went up to drive them away. We told them that these Chinese people who had cut off their pigtails were us.

The Tang Dynasty will cover it up, but these horse bandits saw that we have a large number of people, so they just said a few harsh words and retreated in despair."

"Well, thanks for your hard work, brothers, please go back first!"

Richard nodded with satisfaction and waved to Gao Shiheng and others to escort the convoy ahead. He sat high on the horse and watched the convoy passing in front of him like he was reviewing an army, waving and nodding in return from time to time.

Riders passing by and Chinese gold diggers sitting on four-wheeled carriages would respectfully take off their hats and salute him, their faces beaming with joy, as if they had gained a lot.

With the protection of the Tang Association, the Chinese gold diggers' sense of security doubled. This was all thanks to Richard on horseback, which made him famous in the Chinese circle and his prestige soared.

In this wild west

Don't mention those who are senior, well-known, born in a famous family, etc., don't use false pretenses, only strong fists and strong strength are the last word.

Among the tens of thousands of gold prospectors on the American rivers, there are whites and Mexicans from the eastern United States, as well as Chinese and indigenous Indians. The composition is very complex.

Even among the white gold diggers, there are differences between England, Ireland, Prussia, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries and languages. Most of these people are illiterate and speak rude language. If they can't speak a few words, they just start working.

Therefore, in order to compete for a good gold mining area or river bend, countless fights and murders take place here every day, and it is simply too common for a few or more than a dozen people to die.

Often when Chinese gold prospectors discover a gold-rich area, they are immediately beaten, driven away or even robbed by white gold prospectors who come from nearby. Many people die as a result.

in most cases

The Chinese gold diggers could only leave with humiliation and hatred amidst the wild laughter of the white people, because the white people were rich and powerful and could not afford to offend them.

It was the early days of the San Francisco Gold Rush, and there were no claims of land ownership or mining licenses, and everything was in primitive chaos.

Anyway, gold prospectors only need to hold a shovel, a pickaxe, or a pan to start their gold mining career by the river.

Wherever there are people, there is society, and where there are groups, there is competition.

Since gold was discovered in the American Rivers, white gold prospectors quickly gained the upper hand.

This is because there are many white gold diggers and guns, and they are backed by the feared Alexander Madison, another white leader in New Town, an extremely greedy and bloodthirsty guy who has killed hundreds of people under his command.

Alexander Madison was originally a second lieutenant in the Michigan Independent Cavalry Regiment. After the Mexican-American War in 1845, by chance, he learned from a Mexican officer who had served in Upper California that gold had been found here.

After hearing the news about the mine, he came up with the idea of ​​deserting.

He secretly killed the Mexican officer, gathered more than a dozen military friends, left the cavalry regiment with horses and weapons, traveled thousands of miles westward, crossed the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and finally arrived at the holy land of wealth he dreamed of.

Francisco.

After arriving here, Alexander Madison took to the water like a fish in water. With his excellent military qualities and ruthlessness, he quickly made his mark and became the dominant figure in the new town.

Alexander Madison regarded himself as the "protector and defender of the interests of white gold diggers". He quickly grew in size by merging other white gangs and occupied the best bays along the American rivers. He did both prospecting for gold and collecting protection fees.

Secretly, they were also engaged in murderous activities, so they quickly broke out.

Among the three white forces in San Francisco

If old John Sutter is the local snake in the new town, then Alexander Madison, whose hands are full of blood, is the dragon crossing the river, rising at the fastest speed.

Captain William Richardson, who founded Yerba Buena, was a standard businessman and builder. His behavior was introverted and difficult to approach. He valued law and order most, but San Francisco was a place without law.

The local police force in the hands of John Sutter Sr. was appointed by him with his huge power, commonly known as "private police".

In San Francisco, there is also a local force led by Mexican Juan Carlos, whose influence cannot be ignored.

Juan Carlos is a native white man, a descendant of Spanish white people in North America. This is an identity he is proud of.

As the lieutenant commander of the Mexican garrison in Alta California, he has more than 200 cavalry and more than 350 infantry under his command, stationed in the eastern district of New Town.

After the white militiamen took up guns and drove away the Mexican governor, Juan Carlos transformed himself, took off his military uniform, and became the largest local businessman, the leader of the Mexican ethnic group, and a very influential figure in the new town.

What's ridiculous is that the Spaniards never recognized these native white people, thinking that their blood was as low as the native Indians, and they slaughtered them without mercy. This is another story.

The sky is full of sunset

Richard rode back behind the convoy, and it was almost a little after 5 o'clock when he arrived at the entrance of Grape Valley.

When we arrived here, we could already see the smoke rising from the cooking pots in the Grape Valley, and the wooden houses one after another stood among them. It was like a painting against the backdrop of the mountains and rivers, which was so beautiful.

The returning gold diggers got off their four-wheeled carriages one after another and swarmed to the hills to take a look. The defensive parapets under construction have taken shape, giving people a great sense of security.

It is as if a gate has been installed at the entrance of the valley, and no one is allowed to enter unless it is necessary.

I heard that checkpoints, fortress walls, and wooden towers were to be built here, which aroused the heartfelt attention of everyone, and there were endless chatter and comments, all of which were overwhelmingly praised.

If yesterday there was still an element of coercion, today the positive image of the Tang Association has been completely established and it has truly won the unanimous support of the Chinese people.

To put it bluntly, it's all caused by a serious lack of security.

Seeing the time is ripe

Richard drove his horse forward, sat high on the horse and said loudly;

"Brothers from the Chinese labor force, please be quiet and listen to me..."

When he shouted, the crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone's eyes turned to this heroic young gunslinger, full of admiration and joy, but also a trace of fear.

Seeing that everyone was quiet, Richard continued to speak loudly;

"The establishment of the Datang Society will serve as a strong security barrier for Grape Valley and bring benefits to all Chinese workers. This is what we say and what we do, and everyone can see it clearly.

but now

We are facing a serious threat from the Agreement Hall. Just before noon, 16 armed horse bandits from the Agreement Hall tried to rush into the valley and commit crimes.

Three of them were killed and thirteen others were captured..."

When Richard said this, everyone screamed in surprise, and then when they heard that the gangster was captured in one fell swoop, they quickly turned into enthusiastic cheers, interrupting his speech.

The Accord Hall is notorious for its many evil deeds. It would be terrible if these horse bandits were really allowed to enter the village and harm the people.

Not to mention the few wealthy households in the village who have wives and children, these single gold diggers have more or less gold sand hidden under their beds, on the beams, and in jars. Once it is turned over, they will cry wherever they go.

go?

"Thank you, young master, and thank you to the brothers of the Tang Association. You are truly the Bodhisattva who saves the suffering!"

"Isn't it? If we let these villains in, it would be really bad luck. Thank God!"

"Fortunately, with the Datang Society, we will have something to rely on in the future..."

"Everyone, be quiet and listen to me first..." Richard had to interrupt the cheers. He stretched out his hand and pressed down, and then said loudly after calming down a little;

"As the saying goes;

If you can only be a thief for a thousand days, how can you prevent a thief for a thousand days?

As you all have seen, due to the immediate threat, the Tang Dynasty suspended military training and took the lead in building defensive breastworks, but this was not enough.

Yihetang has suffered such a big loss, so it is impossible not to take revenge.

Therefore, I hope that after you go back today, you will take my words to every village.

Before dawn tomorrow

All the people from each village who could climb came here to help build the wall. Whether it was axes, saws, pickaxes, shovels, carriages or other tools, they all brought them to work.

We must repair the defense facilities at Taniguchi as soon as possible. Only in this way can we ensure the safety of all of us. This matter cannot be delayed and is closely related to everyone.

As for this pass, I call it "Shanhaiguan". Only by truly improving Shanhaiguan can all people live and work in peace and contentment and make a fortune.

After getting rich, wouldn't it be wonderful to build a beautiful mansion in the valley, marry a wife, have children, and live a stable life without having to worry about gang attacks?

Everyone, tell me, is this correct?"

"Yes..." More than 200 people replied in unison, which was really quite a momentum.

After answering, everyone suddenly looked at each other and laughed. The laughter was full of longing and joy for a better life in the future, and seemed particularly happy.