Wild North America 1846

Chapter 380 Coveting the inheritance

"This... this is so incredible and so generous. I can't express my gratitude at this moment. I can only wish His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty a long and prosperous life. The Prussians will always be reliable friends of the Tang Empire."

Thomas von Bismarck said with difficulty concealing his inner excitement.

The Tang Empire made a big move. The large steam ship in front of them with a displacement of 6,500 tons was the freighter that Bismarck and his party were about to take back to Germany. The ship was fully loaded with weapons and armaments. This was the firm support of His Majesty the Emperor.

Judging from the manifest;

48,000 advanced 1857 King's bolt-action rifles, 2,000 lever-action rifles, 200 3-pound, 6-pound and 12-pound Colt field artillery, 2,000 sets of cuirassier equipment, 1,500 military cotton tents, and various ammunition

1,500 tons, and 500 tons of military cans.

Such a large amount of weapons and equipment is enough to arm an entire regiment of 50,000 people, and what a powerful support this was for King William I of Prussia!

Director Zheng Yuan, known as the "internal minister", came to the San Francisco Bay pier to see him off. Seeing the densely packed sails of the blue bay, and the huge steam freighters as big as hills frequently passing between them, he felt proud and proud, and his expression was like a spring breeze.

said with a smile;

"Your Majesty said, "After sending you thousands of miles away, you will eventually be farewell. What cannot be taken away is the sincere friendship between friends. I hope that friends from the Tang Empire and Prussia will move more and have more exchanges with each other. Don't worry about a few gifts, but cherish them along the way."

."

"sure……"

Bismarck nodded heavily, and the returning Prussian entourage around him all looked excited. They felt the broad mind of the Tang Empire and were deeply moved by it.

Air whistle blows

The steam cargo ship slowly left the San Francisco Bay dock, taking away Bismarck and his party who were waving frequently, but it left a lasting mark on the friendship between Tang and Germany and became a model of diplomatic cooperation in modern history.

The weapons and equipment given to the Kingdom of Prussia were all second-hand weapons and equipment that had just been retired. Now that the Tang Empire was facing a large-scale reduction of its army, the weapons piled in major strategic reserves were as high as hills, so it was convenient to send some out.

Seeing the Germans leaving, Director Zheng Yuan stood on the pier of San Francisco Bay, looking at the grand scene of boats and ships, and a great passion for his career arose in his heart.

After stopping for a moment, he turned around and got into the waiting carriage, and quickly merged into the endless flow of the street.

At the Chang'an City South Railway Station, which is more than ten kilometers away

A steam train that had just arrived at the station was spitting out a large cloud of white mist. Many soldiers with large and small packages got off the train, as well as some white women and their families who were traveling with them. The platform soon became lively.

Brigadier General Fan Pengju, who was wearing a straight military uniform, came out of the carriage after most of the crowd had dispersed. He was traveling in a light carriage with two guards, mainly because his father-in-law, Earl Colt, had passed away due to illness.

"Brother Shi, let's say goodbye on the platform. I wish Brother Shi will be in good spirits and bring glory to our Northern Army when he is inspected by His Majesty!"

Brigadier General Fan Pengju stood up, smiled and shook hands with Brigadier General Shi Jiayong as he said goodbye.

The two had a deep friendship forged in the hail of bullets. When Fan Pengju was the commander of the 502nd Colonel Division, Colonel Shi Jiayong was the commander of the 507th Colonel Division. During the extremely bloody Battle of Chicago and the Battle of Detroit, they were both the leading white servant division troops.

nowadays

A total of nine white servant divisions from the 501st to the 509th have been abolished. More than 100,000 white officers and soldiers have all been disarmed and returned to their fields. They were dispersed and placed in various towns on the Great Plains of central North America, enjoying the same treatment as honorary soldiers.

Speaking of which, these white officers and soldiers were die-hard members of the Tang Empire and members of the committees of retired soldiers in various places. Because of their language advantage, many of them served as police officers or tax collectors after retirement, making them completely trustworthy partners.

Temporary field corps establishments such as the Northern Corps and the Colorado Corps were also abolished, and were replaced by command structures such as the Tang Empire's General Headquarters in the United States to uniformly command the troops stationed in the United States.

The troops who returned to the mainland of the empire returned to their respective positions. Those belonging to the Royal Guards returned to Chang'an, Los Angeles or the Northern Province garrison. Troops belonging to the Central Military Region, Southern Military Region, Overseas Military Region or Northern Military Region also returned to their respective garrison one after another.

Only a small number of meritorious troops can participate in the Chang'an military parade. Brigadier General Shi Jiayong, as one of the representatives of the White Servant Division, will lead a military official formation through Danfengmen Street to accept the review by His Majesty the Emperor. This is supreme for soldiers.

Glory.

"We met in a hurry on the train and had to say goodbye in the blink of an eye. It's hard to avoid feeling melancholy in my heart." Brigadier General Shi Jiayong said regretfully.

He brought back a few guards and five beautiful white wives and concubines, packed a lot of luggage, and was loading the carriage on the platform.

Shi Jiayong will join the Army Staff Headquarters after receiving a review on this trip, so he brought his family back with him.

He cupped his fists and arched them to the east, and said with great emotion: "This time, I have the honor of representing my colleagues in the Northern Army to be inspected by His Majesty, who is admired by everyone. It is truly a blessing in my life. Jiayong will never dare to insult the majesty of our Northern Army, and he will definitely show his strength.

Walking through Danfengmen Street in your best condition, Brother Pengju can rest assured."

"Hahaha... Of course, you and I are all people who have fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. What battles have we not seen? Let's wait for you to settle down and greet some old comrades who will not return until they are drunk." Brigadier General Fan Pengju smiled.

answer.

"Okay, it's settled, hahahaha..."

The two looked at each other and laughed. After greeting each other for a while, they waved goodbye and left without any hesitation, showing the decisive and decisive demeanor of soldiers.

Earl Colt's Manor is located in the Longshou District, where the rich and powerful gather, on the edge of lush and gentle hills.

The stone road extends here and looks particularly quiet. There are high-profile houses on both sides of the road. Elegant and luxurious mansions can be vaguely seen from the branches and leaves. All the people passing by are luxurious carriages with aristocratic logos, which invisibly displays their dignity.

.

Since the establishment of the empire, years of war have caused the Colt Arms Company and Colt Chemicals Company to expand rapidly.

After more than ten years of development, it has become the world's top weapons manufacturer employing tens of thousands of people. It has more than 10 weapons manufacturing factories and chemical explosives factories. It is famous for the production of high-quality guns and the famous Nobel high explosives.

World.

Although the imperial family is the majority shareholder, it only pays dividends and does not operate the company.

As the second largest shareholder with real power, the Earl of Colt family holds many important positions in the company and has accumulated huge wealth over the years, worth more than 70 million Tang Yuan (note: originally 12 million U.S. dollars in history).

After Earl Colt passed away due to illness, his huge inheritance and inheritance of noble titles became the focus of public attention.

This is because Earl Colt and his wife Elizabeth Hart Jarvis only had one son and one daughter. Their youngest son, Harrison, died of smallpox when he was three years old. They only had one daughter, Susanna, who grew up and married the then-wife.

Lieutenant Fan Pengju, a young officer of the Royal Guards.

After the carriage arrived at this aristocratic house with a deep courtyard, Susanna, wearing a plain white dress, stood waiting in the foyer accompanied by several female friends, with a melancholy look on her face.

"Madam, you..."

Looking at Susanna's beautiful eyes, which were red and swollen from crying, and looking particularly haggard, Brigadier General Fan Pengju, who had just gotten off the carriage, took her hand with some heartache, looked up and down and was about to say something.

Susanna shook her head slightly, and Brigadier General Fan Pengju knew it immediately. He glanced at the white women beside her unobtrusively, and a hint of anger flashed through her.

Aristocratic families pay attention to respectability and take care of everything.

He held his wife's hand and walked into the luxurious dome hall, where many well-dressed aristocratic relatives and friends gathered here in twos and threes. The men wore white flowers on their chests and the women wore black veils on their heads to express their condolences to the passing of Earl Colt.

.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries, Brigadier General Fan Pengju and his wife Susanna walked down the stairs to the second floor. Countess Elizabeth Hart Jarvis sat in the hall with a sad expression. Next to her was a white woman of about the same age, and another

The old man and two young white gentlemen stood aside and talked nonstop.

Seeing Brigadier General Fan Pengju and Susanna walking up, the three people stopped a little embarrassed, and then looked over with provocative eyes.

Combined with this situation and the fragments of words he heard when he went upstairs, Fan Pengju has roughly understood the whole story.

There is a bad custom in China: it is called eating to destroy the household.

That is, if there is no man in the family to support the family, after the death of the father, the widow and daughter will be swarmed by relatives and elders to divide up the property and fields, and even the mother and daughter will be kicked out of the house and live on the streets, in a very miserable situation.

Although the countess is not that far, she has obviously been forced by the family of Earl Samuel Colt's brother, intending to occupy the poisonous nest and let Nicholas Colt, the nephew of the late Earl Colt, inherit the earl title and title.

The fief also inherited the huge legacy of the Colt family.

Or adopted as an adopted son, he also has the right to inherit.

Legally speaking, when close relatives have no heirs, it is feasible for side bloodlines to inherit noble titles.

The problem is that;

Susanna was a direct blood relative of Earl Colt. Even though it was impossible for her to inherit the title of earl due to the Tang Empire's rule that noble titles were passed on to sons rather than daughters, her husband, Brigadier General Fan Pengju, could inherit the title. There was no reason to let others do so.

Another way is to leave the title temporarily vacant. After a few years, Susanna will give birth to a son to inherit the title. This is a generational inheritance of the noble title. This is also a feasible method.

Except for the fact that the aristocratic titles of the Tang Empire were passed on to sons rather than daughters, the rest were no different from those in the European countries such as Britain and the Netherlands.

Seeing that he was being bullied, the fire in Brigadier General Fan Pengju's heart suddenly rose. He suppressed the anger in his heart and walked over. He leaned over and softly comforted the countess.

Then, he straightened up and said coldly;

"The Countess is too sad, so we won't entertain you here anymore. Please go downstairs to have some cold food in the hall. If you have anything else to discuss after the funeral, please come."

"I'm afraid it's not your turn to speak here, dear Mr. Brigadier General." Nicholas Colt, who was a little older, was out of sorts. He walked up to Brigadier General Fan Pengju deliberately and looked at the straight Brigadier General uniform he was wearing with contempt.

With a smile, he said with an arrogant tone;

"This is a vital event for the Earl Colt family at the moment. Every family member with the honorable surname Colt has the right to participate, especially close blood descendants like us.

It can be seen that you have indeed developed well in the military.

But I want to remind you, Mr. Brigadier General, that those who deal with Colt Arms Company all year round are the Lords of the Royal Household Office, the Army Logistics Headquarters, the Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the diplomatic envoys of various countries.

When necessary, the Corte family can ask all the senior officials to come forward. It is not your turn to be in charge of a small army brigadier general, so please do it yourself.

By the way, if I remember correctly, you don’t have noble status yet, do you?”

These words were harsh and harsh, and his demeanor was extremely arrogant, which made Brigadier General Fan Pengju feel angry.

But he was not carried away by his anger. Instead, he took a step forward, looked at the other party, and said calmly;

"I repeat, please leave this place and leave the Countess in peace.

At this sad moment, I don't want to embarrass you and your parents too much, but that doesn't mean I don't have the ability.

Save the last bit of the bottom for yourself and leave now before my patience runs out."

Invisibly, Brigadier General Fan Pengju's fierce murderous aura burst out on the battlefield, putting great pressure on the opponent like a knife blade striking his face.

Nicholas Colt took two steps back with a pale face. He could feel this substantial pressure.

"Okay, let's leave, but this is not over yet." Nicholas Colt's father next to him suddenly interrupted when he saw this, and then winked at the white lady next to the countess, and the family of four left unwillingly.

Susanna pulled Brigadier General Fan Pengju's arm worriedly. At this moment, the young woman was at a loss and felt confused. She could only rely on the mountain-like man next to her to make the decision.

"Go and stay with mom first. She is the one who needs comfort most right now." Fan Pengju gently patted his wife's fair arm and comforted her gently.

Susanna nodded meekly, walked over and sat down next to the countess, who was looking sad. She held her arm with the countess, and the mother and daughter whispered to each other in a low voice.

Brigadier General Fan Pengju took a deep breath, trying to suppress the uneven emotions in his heart, and ordered the white housekeeper next to him with his hands hanging down; "Let people watch the stairs on the second floor and don't let anyone come up to disturb the countess until the farewell ceremony is held in the church.

Mass. If anyone breaks in, come to the study and let me know."

"I can do it, sir, don't worry." The white butler replied with great discernment.

Brigadier General Fan Pengju nodded calmly and walked towards the study on the second floor.

The Earl of Colter's residence is a three-story British-style castle building. It is spacious, elegant and luxurious, with a floor height of more than 5 meters. The tall wooden bookcases in the study are ceiling-to-ceiling. Following the large study with an area of ​​more than 50 square meters,

The collection of books amounts to tens of thousands of volumes.

The books placed on the upper level of the bookcase can only be accessed by climbing a ladder.

Mr. Samuel Colter was not only an inventor who led the development of the world's weapons trend, but also an outstanding engineering designer, collector and entrepreneur. He loved reading a lot in his life and was interested in poetry, drama, architecture and

He is involved in many art fields and has a wide range of hobbies.

There were many precious European antiques in his study, but none of them aroused the interest of Brigadier General Fan Pengju. With a somewhat heavy heart, he walked to the oval window that was more than 4 meters high and looked out with his hands behind his back.

The inheritance of Earl Samuel Colt's family is a big trouble, not as simple as imagined.

Due to the long-standing Chinese customs in the Tang Empire, the legacy of feudal thought of "men are superior to women" is also reflected in the inheritance law. This was a common law in the world in the 19th century. "Equality between men and women" is just a myth.

Not to mention that Easterners can't accept it, Westerners can't accept it either.

The inheritance principle of "passing the inheritance from male to female" is not only applicable to nobles, but also applies to ordinary people's families.

Therefore, Nicholas Colt's family cannot be considered unreasonable, and side bloodlines do have the right to inherit.

Colt Arms Company is the world's top weapons manufacturer, and its influence is extraordinary in the empire and even the world. It is by no means a behemoth that a small army brigadier general can suppress. The intricate relationships within it are extremely deep.

If you want to defeat the Nicholas Colt family's covetous pursuit of the earl's inheritance, you can only rely on your own abilities. If necessary, you must also rely on the power of the Fan family.

According to the current information;

After the Victory Day military parade, His Majesty the Emperor will convene a grand ceremonial meeting on National Day. After leading the civil and military officials to offer sacrifices to heaven, earth and ancestors, he will confer a ceremony on all ministers, especially the generals who made outstanding contributions in the North American War.

It is said that his cousin, General Fan Pengfei, who once served as the commander-in-chief of the Colorado Corps, will be promoted to the title of first-class duke, a hereditary title, and awarded the title of field marshal. He will also be awarded a series of honors such as the Diamond Tripod Medal of the Tang Empire and a fiefdom.

As the undisputed patriarch of the Fan family, Duke Fan Pengfei will truly be the backbone of the Fan family. There is no way he will be bullied by these mere collateral relatives of the Colt family.

this era

Clan power is the root of all overseas immigrants. After so many years of development, various ancestral halls, clan societies, regional associations and clan associations have sprung up in all major cities and villages in the Tang Empire.

Compared with the Chinese who have the same roots and origins in mainland China, the overseas Chinese are particularly united, which is very obvious in the Tang Empire.

Can you still be bullied by outsiders (white people) in your own family?

Brigadier General Fan Pengju thought about it for a while, and gradually gained confidence in his heart. What he had to do now was to delay the showdown until His Majesty would reward the ministers at the National Day meeting.

At that time, he would also have a chance to visit the Daming Palace, but he would be ranked very low. Together with hundreds of military generals, he would be able to worship the Holy One, and he would almost be rewarded with a baron, which was considered the threshold for entering the nobility.

But a baron is obviously not enough. In the final analysis, one still has to rely on the dignity of the Fan family to intimidate the other party.

The illustrious reputation of Marshal Fan Pengfei, the recipient of the Imperial Order of Diamonds and Tripods and the first-class Duke, is enough to scare away those young people who covet the Earl Colt family legacy.

The best way

I still have to work hard in the past few years to try to let my wife Susanna give birth to a son who can inherit the title of earl. This is the most perfect solution without leaving any consequences.

Well thought out

Brigadier General Fan Pengfei breathed a long sigh of relief and looked out the window.

In the beautifully manicured gardens outside, three or three well-dressed gentlemen and ladies were walking on the green lawn, chatting in low voices. They were all upper-class people who came to participate in the mourning activities.

The Earl's body is stored in Longshouyuan Cathedral, which is a Protestant church and one of the largest Protestant churches in Chang'an City. It is not far from the Earl's residence, only a ten-minute carriage ride.

The Tang Empire advocated religious freedom. Chang'an City not only had a large number of Buddhist temples and Taoist temples, but also many Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches, distributed in every corner of the city, becoming one of the unique charms of this city where Chinese and Western cultures met.

Generally speaking

It is very simple to distinguish the churches of the three major sects. Catholic churches are famous for their luxurious and gorgeous architecture. Most of them are Gothic or Baroque buildings with exquisite carvings. The doors, windows, walls, and roofs are all covered with exquisite stone carvings and paintings.

It looks magnificent and sacred.

Due to the influence of Japanese culture, the Orthodox church has obvious onion features on its architecture. The most obvious representative is the Kremlin complex, which is a group of onions having a meeting. You can see it from a distance.

Protestant churches are relatively simple. They do not have many gorgeous decorations, arched doors and windows, nor onion roofs. The names of the churches are also very down-to-earth. For example, in Longshou Garden, it is called Longshou Garden Cathedral, and in the East District of Los Angeles, it is called Los Angeles East District.

cathedral.

The Catholic Church is different. There are St. Mary's Cathedral, Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Augustine's Cathedral, St. Peter's Cathedral, Holy Family Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Notre Dame Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, etc. It sounds like

I feel so high and mighty.

Longshouyuan Cathedral

at the funeral mass

The children in the choir sang a hymn: "May the angels lead you into the kingdom of heaven, and the martyred saints come to greet you, and escort you to the merciful embrace of the Father, and enjoy eternal peace..."

The singing echoed in the church. All the upper-class gentlemen and ladies attending the ceremony gathered here, listening to hymns to cleanse their hearts, and with a feeling of mourning, they bid farewell to His Excellency Earl Samuel Colt, who created a brilliant life. The atmosphere

Very solemn.

The priest of the main church was delivering a sermon after the hymn. When he heard a noise coming from outside, he couldn't help but stop and look, and suddenly his expression was shocked.

I saw that the door of the church was blocked by a group of royal guards in bright armor. Archbishops wearing holy robes came in one after another. They were surrounded by a tall emperor who was striding over.

The main priest hurriedly came down from the altar to greet him. He almost fell over when he stepped on his robe on the way, but it did not diminish the ecstasy in his heart.

God bless you, Your Majesty comes to Yongshouyuan Cathedral. This is infinite grace!

(End of chapter)