Wild North America 1846

Chapter 392 Desert Expedition

Detroit

The largest heavy industrial city in Michigan quickly regained its prosperity after the war. With the influx of a large number of new Chinese immigrants, the city's population reached 417,000 in October 1862, surpassing its peak period.

Among them, there are more than 50,000 retired officers and soldiers, occupying many important industries in the city and becoming one of the dominant and important social forces.

Captain Wu Erbao also retired and made his home in this beautiful industrial city by the Great Lakes. He owns a villa and two golden shops in the bustling downtown area. He also has a sum of money he received when he retired. It can be said that his life is

Had a great time.

On Shengli Street in the downtown area, the value of two gold-plated shops that were originally purchased for 4,500 yuan has skyrocketed to nearly 10,000 yuan, and they are extremely popular.

The stable rental income alone is as high as more than 800 yuan every year, and store rents are showing a steady increase. After paying municipal taxes, Wu Erbao still has more than 650 yuan in his pocket.

This rental income alone is enough to maintain a wealthy life for a middle-class family.

Today, Wu Erbao's family has one wife and two concubines. The Chinese wife gave birth to three children, two boys and one girl. The eldest is already 5 years old.

The two concubines are both young white girls. One has already given birth to a fat boy for him, and the other is also pregnant. It is expected that the Wu family will have another son. This is a sign of prosperity!

In addition to the two hired Mexican maids and a coachman, the family of 11 lives in a French single-family villa not far from the lake. The villa has more than 320 square meters on the upper and lower floors, and there are several auxiliary rooms.

, the stables are lined with trees and the environment is extremely elegant.

this day

The coachman drove the carriage to the main entrance of the courtyard. It was an ordinary carriage with the eye-catching 401 number and knight's logo engraved on it, which meant that the carriage belonged to a certain knight who was born in the 401st Division and was a former soldier.

Mark of Glory.

In the Tang Empire, knights or barons were given the honorific title "Sir Sir" to show respect.

"I've seen Sir Sir, the carriage is ready."

"Well!" Wu Erbao, wearing an elegant woolen coat, walked out of the room with a top hat on his head and a mustache. He held a precious cane with exquisite carvings in his hand. He stood at the door and looked at the courtyard.

He looked at the fallen leaves falling in the air and casually ordered: "Send me to the Military Club on Victory Street. When I come back, clean the courtyard and remember to trim the shrubs."

"As you command, Sir."

"Then let's go."

As he spoke, Wu Erbao got into the carriage with his cane. The coachman closed the door, quickly climbed onto the seat in front, raised his whip, and cracked the whip with a "bah" sound, driving the strong horse forward.

.

The carriage drove out along the road at the door and flexibly turned into the street.

It was cold and windy in Detroit in October, and the trees on both sides of the road were withered and yellow, with fallen leaves everywhere, but there was an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians coming and going.

After entering the main street, you can see the jingling trams running, the flow of people in the shops along the street suddenly increases, and the bustling city scene comes into view.

More than 20 minutes later

The carriage arrived at the bustling Victory Avenue, which is the most prosperous and lively street in Detroit. Banks, theaters, department stores and trading companies are gathered here. Except for the bullet marks that still remain on some buildings, there are no traces of the brutal war.

.

Perhaps the biggest change is that the flow of people on the street is mainly Chinese, with a small number of white people mixed in.

The carriage stopped at a tall courtyard on Victory Street, which was not yet the 401st Division Veterans Club, but the long carriage was lined up on the roadside and could no longer move forward.

If you take a closer look, many carriages are engraved with the 401st Division and baron or knight logos, and a small number of carriages are engraved with noble family emblems. They also have the 401st Division mark, which means that the carriage owners once had the glory of serving in the 401st Division.

experience.

For retired military officers, this is an unforgettable and glorious chapter in life.

"We've arrived at the Sir Jazz Club, but there are too many carriages here, so I'm afraid we won't be able to get in."

"Just stop here." Wu Erbao got off the carriage and straightened his clothes.

He had anticipated this situation, so he waved his hand and told the coachman: "Drive the carriage back and report back to my wife. The master will not go back at noon. He will have his meal in the club. There is no need to wait for me for lunch."

"Understood, sir," the coachman replied respectfully.

Wu Erbao nodded, walked forward along the street, and after walking a short distance, he came to the front of the tall courtyard. Here, there were more than a dozen well-dressed gentlemen chattering about what?

On the tall courtyard, there are several vigorous and powerful characters "401 Division Retired Officers Club". This is a place exclusively for retired officers of the 401 Division to relax and have fun. The past service experience includes tickets, playing cards, listening to operas, calligraphy and painting, walking birds, dining and parties.

Everything is complete and it belongs to the type of high-end club.

As long as you are retired officers and soldiers in Room 401, you can get help here.

This kind of military clubs blossomed all over the Tang Empire. In the big cities of Chicago, they were even more popular places for retired soldiers. "So-and-so regiment clubs" were very popular. There were even so-and-so battalion and so-and-so company clubs. Of course, the scale was small.

Much more.

"Hey, Sir Wu is here. You haven't been to the club for a while. What brought you here today?"

"What's so exciting?"

"Don't you know about such a big event? His Majesty has issued an imperial order. The ace 104th Red Rock Valley Division, which was originally affiliated with the Northern Military Region, has been transferred to the Royal Navy. Now these high-minded guys have all become Marine Divisions. The Ministry of War has

The rumor has gone crazy, I heard there is a big operation overseas."

"Oh my god, is it so exciting?"

"Does that need to be said? Today the senior officers of our division will come to the club to sit and sit down. Maybe there will be breaking news. No... the brothers are all waiting here, which is a way of showing their respect."

"Then this kind of thing is indispensable to me, Wu Erbao. Let's wait together."

"That's right, that's right..."

Whenever the empire expands and colonizes, it brings endless business opportunities and wealth-making opportunities. This has formed a general consensus in society. Everyone present is a beneficiary, and there is no need for mobilization to flock to it.

The 401st Division is a mobilization division from Paradise Island. It is a second-class division under the overseas military region. From the 401st to the 413th, there were 13 overseas divisions at its peak. After the war, all of them were retired without exception, and the temporary division-level establishment was cancelled.

But the glory that the 401st Division once achieved has been passed down in the officers' club, and these officers and soldiers who landed in North America, after seeing the vastness and richness of North America, and seeing this more colorful and gorgeous world, almost without exception chose

stay.

These retired officers and soldiers who have traveled half of the world generally have a broader vision than Europeans today, are more active in thinking, more open-minded, more confident, and more receptive to new things. They are completely different from the Chinese compatriots who are stranded in mainland China.

How did such a change occur?

Perhaps just because we have traveled further, seen more, and experienced more, everyone is undergoing an indescribable transformation, becoming keen on conquering, taking risks, and seeing a wider world.

Therefore, even if the new colonization direction rumored above is located in distant South America, it has not dampened the enthusiasm of these retired officers at all.

What happened to South America?

It only takes more than 20 days by boat. How far can it be?

From Detroit, you can take a boat directly from the Great Lakes, take the Toronto Canal and enter the Atlantic Ocean all the way south. It takes about two and a half weeks of sailing to reach Buenos Aires, an important city in South America.

Alternatively, you can choose to take the train to the East Coast and sail from New York.

You can also choose to take a train all the way south, pass through Mexico City, then turn east, go out to sea at Port Veracbrus or Medellin on the Gulf of Mexico, and then head south to South America.

If we set out from Panama, the southernmost province of the empire, the voyage only takes less than 10 days.

Didn't wait long

There was a noise in the crowd, and someone shouted "Come on, come on...". Many well-dressed retired officers also ran out of the club, and soon forty or fifty gentlemen gathered at the gate.

This is a heavy aristocratic carriage engraved with the emblem of the Viscount, with two horses and two shafts. The handsome shaft horse is covered with a velvet horse clothes. The horse clothes are also embroidered with the emblem of the noble family. There is a gold-plated brass hanging on the horse's neck.

The horse bell made by the famous brand looks extraordinary in style and full of aristocratic atmosphere.

The carriage drove very close, and people crowded around it with a roar.

"I respectfully welcome your Excellency, Sir. Good day, Sir."

"Master, I will be polite here under my old position."

"Oh, I've thanked you all for a long time. I'm so ashamed!"

The carriage door opened, and Brigadier General Zhu Shanhe, who was wearing a straight general's trousers, got off the carriage with a smile, waved to say hello to all the old troops, then clasped his fists and made a group salute, and after a brief greeting, they were crowded into the club.

The courtyard in the club is deep, silk, bamboo and clouds are everywhere, and faint laughter can be heard from time to time, making the atmosphere very harmonious and lively.

a few hours later

Wu Erbao was sent home in a carriage with a drunken face. The concubines and maids at home rushed out to welcome him, took the master's hat, coat, cane and other items, and offered hot towels and tea, showing great attentiveness.

"Okay, don't crowd around the master. Let's take the children to play in the house. When the master is tired, let him rest for a while. Everyone has no rules." His wife Wu Chen looked at the messy scene and said

His face darkened and he started to chase people away with words.

The two white concubines did not dare to talk back and left obediently with the children.

Mrs. Wu Chen saw her master sitting on a chair in the main room, sipping hot tea, frowning and silent, so she stepped forward and asked with concern, "Master, is there something difficult to decide in your heart?"

"That's right." Wu Erbao took another sip, then put down the tea cup in his hand, tapped his fingers gently on the desk, and said in deep thought;

"I met the old officer in the club today and heard about a major event that has been widely circulated among the upper echelons of the empire. It is that the empire intends to launch a wilderness expedition in distant South America."

"South America, where is that?"

"Anyway, it's good if you know it's in the south. It takes about 20 days by boat."

"Oh my God, it's so far away. Isn't it just as far away as we went from Paradise Island?"

"Absolutely. It is said that there is an endless pasture as vast and fertile as the Great Plains in central North America. The climate is mild, which is very conducive to the development of large pastures and large farms. It is sparsely populated. It is another chosen land given by God to the Tang Empire!

"

"But... Master, we have enough food and clothing now, why do we have to go to such a far place to fight hard? What if something goes wrong, what will this family do?"

"Hmph, a woman's perspective is short-sighted."

Wu Erbao looked displeased and knocked on the desk with his fingers and said, "If I had been a little rich back then and only wanted to enjoy the stability and enjoyment of staying on Paradise Island and running a small farm, how could I have the prosperity and wealth I have now?

And my honorable status, sir?

Shangfeng said;

The empire only prepared two divisions for this wilderness expedition, which were mainly used for frontal combat and targeted attacks on the Mapuche royal cavalry, and to implement large-scale mobile operations.

This wilderness expedition allows volunteers to follow. There is a lot of land there, and whoever occupies it will own it. If you are able to occupy a piece of land of 100,000 hectares, the empire will issue you a land ownership certificate, which can be passed down for generations.

With such favorable conditions, many compatriots in the army are red-eyed and gearing up to get a piece of the pie!

By the time next spring comes

That's really a response. I don't know how many people will participate in this wilderness expedition. Even if I go, I can only be considered a small leader."

"Then...are all the expenses of the Volunteer Militia considered as the empire's?"

"Huh, what are you daydreaming about...how is this possible?" Wu Erbao was completely defeated by the woman's ignorance, and said with a wry smile and shook his head;

"The Volunteer People's Army will bear all its own expenses, bear its own casualties, and prepare its own weapons. Of course, the territory it conquers will also belong to itself. Whether it can hold it or not is entirely up to itself. The Empire does not care.

But don't worry

Because the Mapuche people are nomadic Indians, their productivity is backward, and they do not have any decent weapons. The early army wiped out many such Indian tribes, and they are very experienced in dealing with them;

It is said that the productivity of the Kingdom of Patagonia established by the Mapuche people is quite backward. The main weapons are still swords and arrows. Only the royal cavalry is equipped with a small number of old-fashioned muskets, which is not to be feared at all.

these years

There are also more than 10 young and middle-aged descendants of the Wu family who have come to join us one after another. I plan to take them with me, gather some old troops, and then go to New York to recruit a group of white immigrants who have just arrived to form a team of fifty or sixty people.

There are many people in our 104th Division who are interested, and we can form a team when we go to South America.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I want to build a large pasture for the Wu family, with an area of ​​at least 10,000 hectares, which will be enough for future generations to chew grain."

Talking room

Wu Erbao showed great ambition. He was not fighting for others, but fighting for the future generations of the Wu family, and more importantly, to fulfill his dream of being an iron horse.

He now has a sum of money in his hand. When the time comes, he will mortgage the villa and borrow a sum of money from the bank to prepare weapons and supplies for the desert expedition. This will be enough for a team of fifty or sixty people.

There are opportunities to make money in South America. As mentioned above, you can get an Indian scalp for 50 yuan, so go get it if you can.

It is said that the Kingdom of Patagonia has a population of more than 1.4 million. How many scalps are there?

As long as a tribe of Mapuche Indians is surrounded, all the expenses will be recovered, and maybe a big profit can be made.

The key is the boundless and vast land. It is said to be equivalent to the area of ​​more than 10 states in the Great Plains of Central America. It covers more than 3,000 kilometers from south to north, and the longest from east to west is 1,460 kilometers. It is really vast.

(End of chapter)