America 1881: They Call Me Legend

After Chen Jianqiu put down the phone, he planned to visit Mr. Hawke.

He and this congressman are considered a gentleman's friend and know each other, but they don't have a deep relationship.

Hawke is very upright, but also very stubborn. Chen Jianqiu has his own way of dealing with this kind of person.

He didn't bring any money or expensive gifts, just his own small bag.

Hawke received Chen Jianqiu in his office.

Unlike the morons in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, members of the U.S. House of Representatives all have their own offices on Capitol Hill.

As the "nail house" of the House of Representatives, Hawke's office revealed a sense of time precipitation.

After all, other people's offices often change hands, and his office has been his for more than ten years, and it hasn't changed.

Hawke didn't let Chen Jianqiu go to his house.

He thought that he was always upright in his work and there was no need to hide it, so he let Chen Jianqiu come to his office under the watchful eyes of the congressmen.

"Mr. Chen, what do you want to see me today?" Hawke stood up from his seat and said to Chen Jianqiu.

"Oh, Mr. Hauke, on behalf of the Chinese, I am here to express my gratitude to you for your remarks in the parliament not long ago." Chen Jianqiu stretched out his hand, "By the way, I will give you a gift on behalf of them."

Hawke looked a little proud.

"Mr. Chen, I didn't say those words in parliament for anyone, let alone asking for anything in return."

"I'm just a disgrace to the emergence of such a bill in a country built on democracy, freedom and equality! I don't want the right voices to be silenced, and I don't want this country to lose its soul!"

"You misunderstood, Mr. Hauke."

Chen Jianqiu took out a piece of paper that had been folded several times and handed it to Hawke.

Hauke ​​hesitated for a moment, then opened the paper.

This is a joint letter expressing our gratitude to Hawke.

On the bottom of the letter, there are hundreds of Chinese names signed in different handwritings.

"The signatures are all representatives of Chinese people in the United States. Some of them are workers, some are farmers, some are businessmen, some are doctors and teachers, and some are students studying at Stanford University."

"Some of them were babies when you spoke out in the House 18 years ago, and now they are adults!"

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the names below and said to Hawke.

"We all express our sincere gratitude to you. Maybe you don't think this is something worth mentioning, but in the eyes of us Chinese in the United States, it is a torch in the dark."

"There are still people in this country who were willing to speak for the disadvantaged 18 years ago, and they are still there 18 years later, which shows that the conscience of the United States has not been completely wiped out."

"We know that you don't ask for anything in return, but the Chinese people will always remember those who have been kind to them."

Hawke looked at these densely packed names and didn't know what to say for a while.

He was moved.

In fact, he did not have a particularly deep understanding of the Chinese, and he did not have too many contacts, even Wang Qingfu, who was also in the House of Representatives.

Knowing kindness and repaying is a virtue.

People who help others don't need to ask for anything in return, but no one wants the story of the farmer and the snake to happen to them.

"I will keep this gift well, thank you."

The member put away the joint letter and held Chen Jianqiu's outstretched hand.

He sighed and said regretfully: "It's just a pity that it didn't succeed in the end."

"I talked to Mr. President, and he told me that the problem should not be serious, but I didn't expect to encounter such great resistance in the House of Representatives!"

"Mr. President did it on purpose."

Chen Jianqiu said suddenly.

His voice was not loud, but it struck Hawke's ears like a thunderbolt.

He was lost in thought.

"The military reform plan proposed by the Ministry of the Army before your proposal is basically the same."

"Mr. President doesn't really want these two proposals to be passed, but he doesn't want to openly stand on the opposite side until he can figure out the depth behind them, so he asked you to send these two proposals without prior communication. to the House of Representatives."

"Behind the former is the army, and behind the latter are me and the Chinese community."

"Both of these, he doesn't want to tear himself apart for the time being, especially if he doesn't get enough support."

Chen Jianqiu said calmly.

"So, we were sold?" Hawke frowned.

"Probably." Chen Jianqiu patted Hawke on the shoulder, "However, as long as our goal is firm, there will be no problem."

"We should make this country better, not worse."

Chen Jianqiu looked out the window, and suddenly laughed: "But that's fine, there will definitely be monsters and ghosts."

McKinley wasn't sure if he could hide his petty thoughts from Chen Jianqiu, but at least on the bright side, Chen Jianqiu should have no way to challenge him.

The president wanted to ascertain Hanna's attitude first.

He was keenly aware that his former hard-core ally seemed to be different from before.

The senators arrived as scheduled.

"Hanna, do you think the military reform plan can be passed in the Senate?"

Asked President McKinley, staring at Hanna sitting in front of him in the Oval Office of the White House.

"I think it may need to be revised. The issues raised in the House of Representatives will also be encountered in the Senate." Hanna quickly gave a reply, as if after a long time of thinking, "The direction is right, but we need to go Polish the details."

McKinley touched his chin, and asked a second question: "If the military reform plan still fails to pass, will it affect our next general election?"

The veins in Hannah's temples throbbed.

His voice suddenly became softer.

"William, on the issue of the general election, I support you from beginning to end."

But then he changed the subject:
"However, William, you must know that the military reform plan involves the future of the United States, so it must be passed."

McKinley nodded.

He had already got the answer he wanted from Hannah.

Hanna will still support himself, but he also has his own interests.

He even represents the opinions of many elites in the Republican Party.

The president watched his old partner leave the office.

His head started to hurt.

Damn Chen Jianqiu.

Could it be that the tentacles of this Chinese force have reached to his old partner?
The president just felt a chill run down his spine.

But if his old partner Hannah is no longer as close as himself, who else in the Republican Party is trustworthy?
McKinley suddenly thought of the envelope stamped with the Masonic stamp.

It was that letter that gave me a reminder.

Masonic?
For this organization, McKinley knew, but he himself was not one of the members of this organization.

Since they sent this letter to themselves, it meant that some of them were on the opposite side of Chen Jianqiu.

An enemy of an enemy is of course a friend.

Is it possible to form an alliance with them?

Just as the president rested his chin on his hands, he was lost in thought.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The door was opened, and a head appeared in the doorway.

It was the President's secretary, George B. Courtelliu.

"Mr. President, Senator Cahill would like to see you."

McKinley raised his head and glanced at his secretary with confusion.

MP Cahill?
This person is a senator from Ohio.

Ohio is the territory of Rockefeller, who is said to have a close relationship with the oil tycoon.

What does it mean that he ran to the White House to see himself at this time?
"Let him in," McKinley said after a moment's thought.

The secretary shrank his head back.

The door was opened.

After a while, the secretary appeared at the gate with Cahill.

McKinley waved at Kotelew, beckoning him to leave first, and then closed the office door.

After there were only two people left in the office, Cahill expressed his intention to come.

"Mr. President, on behalf of Mr. Rockefeller, I would like to convey to you some of his thoughts." The congressman said.

"What idea?" The president crossed his hands and placed them on his large antique desk.

"Mr. Rockefeller believes that the Chinese group headed by Chen Jianqiu is becoming a threat to the Federation. He hopes that the President will consider taking measures earlier." Cahill said bluntly.

"Oh? Really? Is there any basis? You have to know that his words are not only aimed at a person, but also an accusation against a group of people."

The President questioned Cahill, staring intently at him.

Unexpectedly, Cahill would not accept the move at all.

"Mr. President, you should know better than us about this issue." He said, "As long as you stand firm, Rockefeller and the Freemasons will definitely support you to continue as the next president. He will bear all the campaign expenses .”

"Mr. Rockefeller should know that only a united Republican Party can be competitive. I will not split opinions in the party because of these trivial matters." McKinley still did not let go.

"You don't worry too much, Mr. President." Cahill smiled, "As long as the Freemasonry is on your side, the President's throne will not fall aside."

McKinley was noncommittal.

"I'm just conveying the meaning of Mr. Rockefeller. After conveying the meaning, I can go." Cahill stood up, turned and prepared to leave
"Next time, if Mr. Rockefeller has something to say, it's fine. You don't need to send photos and letters anonymously." The president's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Cahill paused.

"Okay, Mr. President, I will take your words."

Cahill, who came out of the White House, returned to his office and hung up on Rockefeller.

Rockefeller was not at his Cleveland headquarters at this time.

He is visiting one of his new refineries in New York State.

Chimneys stand in the factory area one after another, and the black smoke from the chimneys floats into the air, giving it an industrial-era aesthetic.

With his hands behind his back, Rockefeller shuttled through the factory area accompanied by everyone.

The Ford company invested by Chen Jianqiu is selling their cars everywhere, but they don't know that this kind of thing that replaces the horse-drawn carriage has once again promoted the development of their own oil refining industry.

Originally, the only thing people bought the most was kerosene, but now there is also a demand for gasoline.

Stone Tycoon couldn't help but want to laugh.

Chen Jianqiu, Chen Jianqiu, you also get confused sometimes.

When Rockefeller was full of thoughts, his assistant ran over from the direction of the office building, stuck to his ear, and whispered to him the situation on Cahill's side.

Rockefeller turned around, waved at the group of people following him, and signaled them to go back first.

"The president has decided to ally with us?" he asked, tilting his head.

"It should be understandable in this way." The assistant replied after thinking for a while, "It seems that he has no other choice."

Rockefeller was very satisfied.

Everything seems to be good today.

"I have prepared a lot of 'gifts' for Chen Jianqiu, don't worry, play with him first, let's play slowly." The corner of the oil tycoon's mouth could not help but rise.

"The president also said," the aide continued.

"What else?"

"He told you to stop sending him photos anonymously."

"Photos? Anonymous? What the hell?" Hearing the assistant say this, Rockefeller was at a loss. "I never sent him any photos!"

He looked at the assistant: "Did you send it?"

The assistant shook his head.

However, while Stone Tycoon was still pondering, someone trotted over from the office building.

He brought a "good news".

Standard Oil Trust, in New York State, was sued.

The reason was that they violated the Antitrust Act of 1890.

The targets of the prosecution are the plants and companies owned by Standard Oil Company in New York State, including the refinery he inspected today.

Before his 'gift' was given to Chen Jianqiu, the 'gift' given to him by Chen Jianqiu was delivered first. (end of this chapter)