Wild North America 1846

Chapter 392 Desert Expedition
Detroit

The largest heavy industrial city in Michigan quickly recovered its prosperity after the war. With the influx of new Chinese immigrants, the city's population reached 1862 in October 10, surpassing its heyday.

Among them, there are more than 5 retired officers and soldiers, occupying many important industries in the city and becoming one of the dominant 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 pavements in the bustling downtown area here, and he still has a sum of money he got when he retired. Had a good time.

On Shengli Street in the downtown area, the two gold pavements purchased at the initial investment of 4500 yuan have skyrocketed in value to nearly [-] yuan, and they are extremely sought-after.

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

This rental income alone is enough to maintain the affluent life of a middle-class family.

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

The two concubines are young Caucasian girls. One has already given birth to a fat boy for him, and the other has a big belly. It is expected to have another son for the Wu family. This is a sign of prosperity!
Together with the two hired Mexican servants and a coachman, the family of 11 lived in a single-family villa not far from the lake.The upper and lower floors of this villa are more than 320 square meters, and there are several auxiliary rooms, horse stables, tree-lined, 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 number 401 and the knight logo engraved on it, which meant that this carriage belonged to a Mr. Knight who was born in the 401 Division. Mark of Glory.

In the Tang Empire, knights or barons should be addressed as "Mr. Jazz" to show respect.

"I have seen my lord. The carriage is ready."

"Hmm!" Wu Erbao came out of the room in a fine wool coat, with a top hat on his head and a mustache, holding a precious and exquisitely carved walking stick in his hand. He stood at the door and looked at the courtyard. The falling leaves in the middle of the scene, casually ordered; "Take me to the Victory Avenue Soldiers Club, clean up the courtyard when you get back, and remember to trim the shrubs."

"As you order, my lord."

"Let's go then."

While speaking, Wu Erbao got into the carriage with his walking stick, and the coachman closed the door, then quickly climbed onto the front seat and raised his whip, and flicked the whip with a bang, urging the strong riding horse forward .

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

Detroit was cold and bleak in October, the trees on both sides of the road were already withered and yellow, and the leaves were everywhere, but there was an endless stream of carriages and pedestrians.

After entering the main avenue, you can see the trams running jingling, the flow of people in the shops along the street suddenly increases, and the bustling city scene blows in your face.

20 minutes later
The carriage came to the bustling Victory Avenue, which is the busiest street in Detroit. Banks, theaters, department stores and trading companies are gathered here. Except for the remaining bullet marks on some buildings, there are no traces of the brutal war. up.

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

The carriage stopped by a tall courtyard on Shengli Avenue. It hadn't reached the Veterans Club of the 401st Division yet, but the long carriages lined up on the side of the road and it was impossible to move forward.

Take a closer look, many carriages are engraved with the logos of the 401st Division and baron or knight, and a small number of carriages are engraved with the family crest of nobles. They also have the imprint of the 401st Division, which means that the owners of the carriages once had the glory of serving in the 401st Division. experience.

For retired military officers, this is an indelible chapter of glory in life.

"The Old Jazz Club has arrived, but there are too many carriages here, so I'm afraid I can't get in."

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

He had expected this kind of situation a long time ago, so he waved his hand and told the coachman: "Drive the carriage back, and report to Madam; the master will not go back at noon, and he will have dinner in the club. You don't need to wait for me for lunch."

"Understood, sir." The coachman replied respectfully.

Wu Erbao nodded, started walking along the street, and after a short walk, he came to the tall courtyard. Here are more than a dozen well-dressed gentlemen chatting about what?
There are a few vigorous and powerful characters on the tall courtyard, "401 Division Retired Officers Club". This is a place exclusively for the retired officers of the 401 Division. The past service experience is tickets, playing cards, listening to operas, calligraphy and painting, walking birds, dining and gatherings Everything is complete, it belongs to the type of high-end club.

As long as you are a retired officer in Room 401, you can get help here.

This kind of military clubs blossomed everywhere in the Tang Empire. In the big cities of Chicago, where retired soldiers gather together, the "so-and-so regiment club" is very popular, and there are even such-and-such battalion, such-and-such company clubs, of course, the scale is small much.

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

"What's so lively about?"

"Don't you know such a big deal? Your Majesty passed on the imperial order. The ace 104 Red Rock Valley Division, which originally belonged to the Northern Military Region, was transferred to the Royal Navy as a whole. Now all these high-headed guys have become Marine divisions. The rumors are crazy, I heard that there is a big operation overseas."

"My God, is it so explosive?"

"Does it need to be said? The old chief of our division will come to the club today, and maybe there will be breaking news. No... the brothers are waiting here, and they are more or less waiting."

"Then Wu Erbao is indispensable for this kind of thing, let's wait together."

"It's, it's..."

Whenever the empire expands and colonizes, it brings endless business and wealth opportunities, which has formed a general consensus in society.Everyone present is a beneficiary, and they flock to it without mobilization.

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

However, the glory once won by the 401st Division has been passed down in the officer club, and these officers and soldiers who landed in North America, after seeing the vastness and richness of North America and this more colorful and gorgeous world, almost without exception chose stay.

These retired officers and soldiers who have traveled more than half of the world generally have a broader vision, more active thinking, more enlightened, more self-confidence, and easier acceptance of new things than Europeans in today's era. They are completely different from the Chinese compatriots stranded in mainland China.

How did such a change happen?
Maybe it's just walking farther, seeing more, seeing 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 that was rumored above is located in remote South America, it has not weakened the enthusiasm of these retired officers in the slightest.

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 into the Atlantic Ocean and go all the way south. It takes about two and a half weeks to reach Buenos Aires, an important city in South America.

In addition, you can choose to take the train to the east coast and go to sea from New York.

You can also choose to take the train all the way south, turn east after passing through Mexico City, go to the sea at the Port of Veraque Bruce or Medellin on the Gulf of Mexico, and then go south to South America.

If it departs from Panama, the southernmost province of the empire, it is less than 10 days away.

not long wait

There was a commotion in the crowd, someone shouted "Come here..." and many well-dressed retired military officers ran out from the club, and soon forty or fifty gentlemen gathered at the gate.

This is a heavy noble carriage engraved with the logo of the Viscount, with two horses and two shafts. The handsome shaft horse is covered with a velvet horse coat. The horse bell made in China looks extraordinary in style and full of aristocratic atmosphere.

The carriage drove to the vicinity, and the crowd surrounded it with a "crash".

"The humble rank welcomes your Excellency, good day my lord."

"My lord, I'll be polite when I leave the old department."

"Ouch, I've been waiting for you for a long time, I'm ashamed and ashamed!"

The door of the carriage opened, and the brigadier general Zhu Shanhe, who was dressed in straight generals, got out of the carriage with a smile on his face. He waved his hands to greet the old troops, and then clasped his fists in a group salute.

There is a deep courtyard in the club, silk and bamboo cloud panels can be heard endlessly, 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 by the accompanying carriage with a drunken face, and the concubines and servants at home rushed out to welcome him, took the master's top hat, coat, walking stick and other things, and offered him hot towels and tea, showing great hospitality.

"Okay, don't be all around the master, take the children to play in the house, the master is tired, let the master rest for a while, and everyone has no rules." Wife Wu Chen looked at the messy scene, As soon as his face darkened, he spoke out to drive people away.

The two white concubines didn't dare to talk back, and obediently left with the children.

Seeing the master sitting on a chair in the main room sipping hot tea, Wu Chenshi frowned and remained silent, so she stepped forward and asked with concern, "Master, is there something difficult to resolve in your heart?"

"That's right." Wu Erbao took another sip before putting down the teacup in his hand, tapping the desk lightly with his fingers, and said in a deep voice;

"I met the old officer in the club today, and heard a major event that is spreading in the upper echelon of the empire. It is that the empire intends to launch a wilderness expedition, and the place is far away in South America."

"South America, where is that?"

"Anyway, as long as you know that you are in the south, it will take about 20 days by boat."

"My God, it's so far away, isn't it as far as we used to get here from Paradise Island?"

"Almost, it is said that there is an endless pasture that is 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 treasured land bestowed by God on the Tang Empire! "

"But...Master, we don't have to worry about food and clothing now, so why go so far away to fight hard? What if something goes wrong, what will the family do?"

"Hmph, the view of a woman is short-sighted."

Wu Erbao's expression turned displeased, and he tapped his finger on the desk and said, "If I was a little rich back then, and I just wanted to enjoy the peace and enjoyment and stay on Paradise Island to run a small farm, how could I have the glory and wealth I have today?

And my honorable status, master?

Shangfeng said;

This time, the Empire only prepared two divisions for the Wilderness Expedition, which were mainly used for frontal combat and targeted attacks on the Mapuche Royal Cavalry to implement large-scale mobile operations.

Volunteer militias were allowed to follow in this wilderness expedition. There is a lot of land over there, and whoever occupies it will own it. If you have the ability to occupy a piece of land of 10 hectares, then the empire will issue you a land ownership certificate, which can be inherited from generation to generation.

With such a favorable condition, many of the soldiers in the army are jealous, and they are gearing up to get a share of the pie!
When next spring begins

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

"Then...do all the expenses of the volunteer militia belong to the empire?"

"Hmph, what daydreams are you thinking... how is this possible?" Wu Erbao was completely defeated by the woman's ignorance, and said with a wry smile and shaking his head;

"The Volunteer Militia Army is responsible for all expenses, casualties, and weapons. Of course, the territory that has been conquered is also owned by itself. Whether it can be defended depends entirely on itself, and the empire does not ask.

but don't worry
Because the Mapuche are nomadic Indians, their productivity is backward, and they don’t 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 Patagonian kingdom established by the Mapuche people there is quite backward, and the main weapons are cold weapons with knives and arrows. Only the royal court cavalry is equipped with a small number of old-fashioned muskets, which is not to be feared at all.

these years
The Wu family also has more than 10 young and middle-aged people who have come to seek refuge one after another. I plan to take them with me, gather some old departments, and then go to New York to recruit a group of white immigrants who have just arrived, and make a team of 60 to [-] people.

Many people in our 104th Division are tempted, 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 1 hectares, enough for future generations to chew on. "

Talking room

Wu Erbao showed great ambitions. This was not to fight for others, but to fight for the descendants of the Wu family, and even more to realize the dream of gold and iron horses in his heart.

He now has a sum of money in hand, and 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, which is almost enough for a team of five to sixty people.

It’s not that there are opportunities to make money in South America. It’s said above that you can cut off an Indian’s scalp for 50 yuan, and you can get it if you have the ability.

It is said that the Patagonia Kingdom has a population of more than 140 million, so how much scalp is it?

As long as an Indian Mapuche tribe is surrounded, all the expenses will be returned, and maybe a lot of money can be made.

The key is the boundless and vast land. It is said that it is equivalent to the area of ​​more than 10 states in the Great Plains in central North America. It runs more than 3000 kilometers from south to north, and the longest from east to west is 1460 kilometers. It is too vast.

(End of this chapter)