Wild North America 1846

Chapter 667 Parade

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 667 Parade

His Majesty the Emperor spent a month and a half of leisurely time in beautiful Los Angeles and personally attended many important events of the 12th World Expo. Then he set off in early June and returned to Chang'an, the imperial capital, on the royal train.

Along the way, you can see many wealthy families driving cars on the road, heading towards Los Angeles, which hosts a world-class technology event.

On the spacious and flat asphalt road, there are lush street trees on both sides of the road. Clear lane lines are planned on the road. According to traffic regulations, all vehicles drive on the right.

There is a constant flow of cars on the road, with only a few horse-drawn carriages among them. The whole family travels by car. This scene is rare in Europe.

The vast territory and developed road transportation system of the Datang Empire, coupled with the world's advanced automobile industry that has been in existence for more than 30 years, have created the Datang Empire's reputation as a "country on wheels", with the number of automobiles accounting for more than 86% of the world.

The stable and prosperous life coupled with the rapid expansion of the middle class made the subjects of the empire increasingly prefer cars. Large car posters of beautiful cars and beauties can be seen in the streets and alleys of the city, promoting a kind of full-fledged automobile.

A modern travel lifestyle.

With the gradual rise of automobile travel lifestyle, some roadside hotels, auto repair shops and fast food restaurants appeared all over the empire to provide services to people on the road.

New lifestyles based on the automobile industry chain are constantly being developed, and come into people's view with exquisite pictures.

The pictorial shows the modern lifestyle of a family traveling by car, passing through beautiful mountains and rivers, and camping by a river in the countryside. They have a picnic by the forest, stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and get close to nature, which presents a new artistic conception of life in the car that people yearn for.

Owning a car undoubtedly greatly extends the travel radius.

Inviting a few friends to have a picnic in the countryside during Sunday vacation has become a popular activity for many middle-class families in big cities like Chang'an and Los Angeles.

Quiet farms and plantations in the countryside will also benefit from this, and can create more benefits for the farms by providing accommodation and unique local food.

Everything happened naturally, as if it was the way it should be.

Different from the peaceful Tang Empire, the United States in 1885 seemed more chaotic and restless. Labor conflicts broke out frequently in the city, large and small demonstrations continued, and there was a sense of dissatisfaction with society hidden in everyone's heart.

Twenty-three years after the defeat of North America, the United States has been under the pressure of international debt and has lost many national sovereignty.

The mountain of debt weighs heavily on the shoulders of Americans, and it seems that it will never be repaid.

There were still two years to repay the Tang Empire's huge war reparations. This date was September 1, 1887, which was called the "Repayment Day".

But what about after “payment day”?

The most popular newspapers and magazines in the United States are now reporting on the huge international and domestic debt borne by the U.S. government. The total debt has now reached 1.62 billion U.S. dollars. Not only does it not show signs of decreasing, but it is increasing day by day.

The U.S. federal tax revenue is only over 23 million U.S. dollars a year, while the principal and interest on international debt that needs to be paid each year is as high as over 64 million U.S. dollars. It is seriously unable to make ends meet.

The U.S. federal government can only respond by constantly borrowing new debt to repay old debt, raising taxes, and cutting expenditures. This is a debt trap that seems to never be able to climb out.

If we calculate the international debt, we can see that after the defeat in February 1862, after paying off some high-interest loans by selling some high-quality government assets, the remaining international debt of Tangyuan was 985 million. This was all the disaster left by the massive borrowing during the Civil War.

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After more than two years of difficult negotiations, an agreement was finally reached with the "International Committee of Creditors";

The total international debt of NT$985 million is planned to be repaid in 49 years, with an annual interest rate of 6.6%. The total principal and interest repayment at maturity is approximately NT$2.57 billion, which means nearly NT$50 million needs to be repaid annually.

these years

The U.S. federal government has reduced this number to an average of more than 42 million yuan per year by selling some high-quality assets, which is still an unbearable burden.

After the "Settlement Day", the international debt that the United States of America had to repay on a yearly basis dropped from more than 64 million U.S. dollars to more than 42 million U.S. dollars, but in fact this was not the case.

Because the domestic debt is swelling more and more, the pressure to repay principal and interest every year is greater, the federal debt deficit is getting higher and higher, and the tax cuts that the people hope for are nowhere in sight.

Such a hopeless immigrant country, with no mainstream ethnic groups in society (such as Chinese) as the cornerstone, and no strong military, can easily break like glass under heavy pressure.

Philadelphia, USA

Black crowds of demonstrators took to the streets, holding large banners that read, "Strongly protest against the government's tax increase," "Give us back our bread," "Children are hungry," "Demand for a nine-hour working day," "Less

Some squeezing!”…

Most of the people marching were white, with only a few Chinese or Mexicans. No free blacks could be seen, because free blacks did not even have the right to march.

Although they advocate equality, the status of free blacks in the North is extremely low. They have no right to ride on trams or carriages. They cannot approach whites or Chinese when walking on the road, and they cannot even touch the shadow of a human being.

Otherwise, he could be beaten severely, or his life could be lost.

Lieutenant Mo Jiabao led more than a hundred soldiers from the Tang Empire's garrison with live ammunition, and blocked a block at the intersection. Behind them was a middle-class block populated by Chinese Americans, prohibiting marchers from entering.

As for going in other directions, Lieutenant Mo Jiabao didn't care.

There were many Chinese police officers on duty on the streets, as well as white-faced Philadelphia National Guard members. They did not block the progress of the march, but more to maintain basic order.

There have been many precedents for these demonstrators to start violently smashing carriages and shops along the streets as they walked, robbing and destroying wildly to vent their emotions, and escalating from demonstrations to urban riots.

Police officers on duty and the Philadelphia National Guard have been ordered;

Once violence, smashing, and other excessive behavior occurs, the on-site commander may allow shooting to suppress the situation if it is judged that the situation is serious and uncontrollable.

The angry demonstrators surged forward like a tide, shouting their protest demands loudly, and soon arrived at the intersection.

Lieutenant Mo Jiabao stood at the front of the blockade. He was wearing a straight-breasted dark woolen military uniform from the Tang Empire, with two gold tattoos on his cuffs, and a Tang-style large-brimmed military cap (note, refer to German

style), wearing a pair of shiny long leather boots on his feet, and a shining saber hanging on his waist.

His young and heroic face was full of seriousness, he walked forward majestically for more than twenty steps, then stood proudly at the street intersection with a calm expression, and said loudly;

"I have issued an order from Feng Jun to block Jianguo Street ahead on May 1st. All personnel are not allowed to trespass without permission, and no personnel are allowed to cross the place where I am standing. Otherwise, they will be killed without mercy!"

He stood calmly at the street corner alone, but the thousands of demonstrators did not dare to attack him, and flowed past him like a tide. The nearest crowd was three to four meters away from Lieutenant Mojiabao.

The people on top tried their best to squeeze towards the middle.

The reputation of the Tang Empire’s garrison was well known, and it had long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people through the suppression of urban riots. No one dared to touch this bad luck.

Lieutenant Mo Jiabao stood proudly at the street corner, with a look of confidence and pride on his face. Behind him was the powerful army and empire, the glorious glory of the army that is more important than life, and the sacred mission shouldered by soldiers.

see this scene

Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perrier, commander of the Philadelphia National Guard, groaned with a headache. The marching crowd at the street intersection seemed to encounter an invisible boulder obstacle, spreading in his direction.

Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perrier, a French immigrant, ordered: "Let our people cheer up, load their bullets, and be ready for battle at all times.

God, these damn urban riffraff are always making trouble, and those damn Irish and Italians, I hope they all go to hell."

In today's American cities, Irish gangs and Italian gangs appear in the form of various workers' mutual aid associations, such as the Italian Tricycle Drivers Association or the Irish West Side Docks Union, and are often at the forefront of various demonstrations.

These urban untouchables are often keen to participate in these sports. If there is an opportunity to grab a fortune and vent their resentment of being oppressed and exploited for a long time, it is undoubtedly a good thing.

So for Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perriand, every parade made him nervous.

In Philadelphia today, only the mid- to high-end neighborhoods where Chinese and British immigrants are concentrated are guarded by patrols sent by the Tang Empire. The vast civilian neighborhoods are neglected, and security tasks are all left to second-line law enforcement forces such as the police and the National Guard.

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Due to government financial constraints, Philadelphia's police force is severely underserved.

Philadelphia, with a population of nearly 500,000, has only more than 270 police officers. They focus on patrolling and guarding the middle-to-high-end neighborhoods where the middle class and upper class gather, leaving civilian neighborhoods completely unchecked.

It is impossible to expect the police to maintain urban security. Therefore, gangs are rampant in cities across the United States and vicious crimes occur in an endless stream. The security situation in slum neighborhoods in particular is abysmal.

Whenever there is a major event such as a mass demonstration, the police need to request the National Guard and the Tang Empire garrison to suppress the formation to prevent it from turning into an uncontrollable urban riot.

The so-called National Guard is also the militia. What is better than the ordinary militia is that they can get a small duty subsidy. Many soldiers bring their own guns because the government is really poor and cannot afford the money.

Logically speaking, National Guard commanders like Lieutenant Colonel Jean Perrier should be able to enjoy a stable and relatively generous salary.

In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perrier has not received the government's small military officer subsidy for more than a year, but has instead put a lot of money into it.

He himself is the president of the Philadelphia Bakers Association. His family runs two large-scale flour mills and more than a dozen bakeries, and is not short of money at all.

The reason why he was willing to take on this thankless position of commander was because Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perrier believed;

Maintaining social stability in Philadelphia is a major responsibility closely related to family interests. Many officers and soldiers in the National Guard have similar thoughts, which is what supports them to persevere.

Sometimes whatever you are afraid of will come to you.

Just as the marchers were rushing forward, there were sudden bursts of strange screams and noises. Occasionally, women's screams of fear could be heard, and the order suddenly became chaotic.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

"Sir, some nuns from the Santa Maria Convent happened to be returning from the library with some female students, and they ran into the parade. Now they are surrounded by some Italian thugs. The situation is quite chaotic."

"Oh... God, take your people and join me to suppress the pressure. I hope things don't get too bad. And immediately request support from the Imperial garrison and go right away." Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Perrier's face changed.

It was ugly, and he made a decision with a livid face, and then hurried away with the people.

(End of chapter)