Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 292: War in New York City
U.S. Steel Corporation's New York headquarters, 2:30 A.M.

The towering chimneys of the iron foundry were looming in the morning mist, and the air was filled with the smell of unburned coke and the salty smell wafting from the Hudson River.

"Drag the broken machine tools to Seventh Avenue! The damn capitalists won't invest in these good equipment that really affects our safety, but instead want to use these damn automations to take our jobs."

"Yeah, drag those damn machines out into the street and burn them. We shouldn't have agreed to that bullshit efficiency bill last year."

This is also a very important reason for the resurgence of strikes this year. During the general strike last year, the capitalists allowed the union leaders to sign an "efficiency agreement" on behalf of the workers in exchange for a 20% wage increase, which allowed the capitalists to introduce more automated equipment to improve efficiency.

Speaking of which, this is actually more or less related to Zheng Yi, because Zheng Yi himself is a great advocate of automation. The use of small motors and air compressors has made automated production more feasible.

Especially in the steel industry, Zheng Yi himself attached great importance to it. When American Steel opened branches in Penang and Yangon, it used more automated equipment, and the converters were converted to compressed air-driven ones. It certainly cannot be compared with later generations, but it did basically raise the field of industrial automation to the level of the 60s in history.

The workers originally had no idea about so-called automation, but after the factory actually introduced automation, these American workers became very angry. Therefore, after the Taft-Hartley Act was announced, they were taking the opportunity to cause trouble, but in fact they were going back on their word.

"Yes, smash all these machines and let those damn capitalists know that this is not 1919." Before he finished speaking, a sharp whistle tore through the fog.

Three rockets, trailing orange-red flames, slammed into the roadblock, raining down shards of cast iron. Frank, a former soldier and union leader who had participated in the Normandy landings, was thrown from the blast onto the icy road, instantly losing hearing in his left ear. Through the smoke, he saw a Chevrolet truck speeding toward them like a maddened beast.

And on the back of the truck, there were twelve STG44 assault rifles clearly mounted.

"Fuck! It's those niggers!" Frank spat out the sand in his mouth and hurriedly turned over to avoid it. Before he could raise his head, another shell fell directly into the factory yard with a whoosh, completely ignoring the people and equipment inside and exploded with a loud bang.

"Three o'clock!"

Frank roared, pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger. He was also a veteran of World War II, but at this moment he felt more panicked than ever before. He felt that the battlefield in front of him was even more dangerous than the previous Normandy Landing. For a moment he had no idea what to do.

This is fucking New York!
It’s not Normandy, nor Iwo Jima, it’s New York!
Those niggers, they...they...how dare they do such a thing in New York!

Not far away at the Hongmen Command Center, he was personally operating a heavy machine gun in an ordinary Chevrolet pickup truck.

"Brothers, we are not here to kill, we are here for justice!! Charge in and fight for our dignity and our human rights."

Malcolm stripped off his shirt, revealing his muscular torso and two bullet holes in his chest in the freezing cold. "I've shed blood for America, and I've risked my life for this country. The history of us black people being born inferior must end. In this fight, there's no retreat but to die. Kill!"

As he said that, Malcolm ordered his driver to step on the accelerator to the bottom and slam open the roadblock at the door. He himself took the lead and was the first to rush into the factory, shooting crazily at the workers.

As if it was a signal, more and more black people began to pour out from fire escapes, sewers, and abandoned shops. The workers who stayed in the factory suddenly found that they were inexplicably surrounded and could not even run away.

"They're not going to let us escape!"

After all, World War II had just ended, and both sides had many veterans who had just taken off their military uniforms. It was even very likely that many of them were comrades who had fought side by side in Europe or Asia. Once they started fighting, they immediately entered a state of regular warfare.

boom!
A union leader who had climbed to a high place and was about to command the battle was about to say something when his head was immediately smashed into pieces like a watermelon.

"Sniper!! There's a sniper among these damn niggers!"

Calvin, the sniper on the roof, was once a sharpshooter in the Battle of Tarawa, and now his Springfield rifle is reaping the fruits of revenge.

Frank knew their situation was hopeless, but he quickly stepped forward and shouted as a union leader, "Stop! Stop! Stop the fighting! Black brothers on the other side, we are not the enemy. We are the lower class being oppressed by the rich."

"Brothers of the union! Cease fire, surrender! Do not resist! We cannot defeat them! They are well prepared! Stop! Black brothers, this is a factory. If the steel furnace inside is damaged, no one will have a job! Black brothers, we surrender, surrender~!"

Unfortunately, the scene was too noisy and few people could hear what he said clearly.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

A Chevrolet pickup truck drove by, and Malcolm shot him to death without hesitation.

He was one of the few people who heard what he shouted just now.

"Surrender? Haha, what are you thinking?"

Boom~
A huge explosion was heard from inside the steel plant. The shell penetrated the oxygen tank in the workshop and directly blew up the entire workshop. Sparks flew everywhere, almost igniting the northeast corner of the entire steel plant. The flames also dyed the originally dark sky red.

Almost all the workers showed despair in their eyes.

If the factory is gone, what will happen to these workers?

It was a deliberate act. There weren't many people on duty at the union at night. The most important thing was that these black people were so cruel. They looked like they were going to start a war in New York City and were treating them as if they were the Japanese.

They're just on strike!
The purpose of the strike is just to increase wages a little and make the boss use less automated equipment. Most of the workers are really just ordinary workers.

However, this time, the blacks who followed Malcolm to attack the factory were all desperadoes.

After the huge explosion, all the workers ran away in a swarm. Those who ran outside were almost all shot to death because they were actually surrounded by blacks. Those who learned their lesson started to run inside.

Anyway, this is their place. The steel plant is large and has many bunkers. It can also be used as a fortress. These blacks may not be able to find the way after entering, and they could not find them for a while, so they barely saved their lives.

The blacks didn't chase after him either.

Malcolm led his men forward, each step punctuated by the blood of his compatriots, setting fire to the strikers' barricades with Molotov cocktails and tearing through the defenses with MP40 submachine guns.

"Victory~"

When Malcolm occupied the strikers' headquarters, tens of thousands of black people who had followed him burst into cheers that resounded for several blocks. It seemed as if the entire street of New York was filled with the breath of freedom. It was a moment of peace bought with blood.

Then the police arrived. "Brothers, retreat! Don't shoot at the police. Those who can't escape will be caught."

The New York police were also confused. After all, this is New York. Such a vicious incident has not happened in New York for many years. The terrifying explosion alone is enough to classify this conflict as a war.

Following Malcolm's order, tens of thousands of blacks retreated in a black mass. Most of the policemen did not actually arrest anyone. After all, they were there to earn a salary, and they were dumbfounded when they saw the scene before them.

They said they were armed police, but they were armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns, and they were all black people. In the dark, it was impossible to tell how many there were. It seemed like there were tens of thousands of them. No matter how you looked at it, this didn't seem like something the police should be involved in.

This requires the National Guard!
In addition, at least the senior police officers know something about the situation and are aware that Mr. Rockefeller and Mr. Zheng are behind this black gang. These people from the Steel Association have caused so much trouble in the past two years that even the ruling Democratic Party is unwilling to protect them.

Politically, they probably also know who is more correct.

For ordinary police officers, this endless strike has even annoyed them. It has seriously affected the lives of other ordinary people in New York, and everyone really doesn't have the courage to arrest these black people.

Just show your respect and fire a few shots into the sky to justify the salary you get. In that big arrest, no more than a hundred black people were caught, and the rest all ran away.

And when these black people returned to Lyme, it would be even more difficult for the police to catch them. They didn't even dare to enter Lyme.

"Hank."

Chief William called out to the black officer beside him, "Did you know about today's incident?"

Hank shook his head.

"really do not know?"

"really do not know."

"Do you know who is the leader among you black people?"

"really do not know."

"Fuck! Don't you want to do this anymore?"

"Anyway, I only know that the person behind these gangs must be Mr. Zheng Yi. Why don't you ask Mr. Zheng?"

"you……"

Unexpectedly, Hank suddenly blew a whistle, and all the black police officers in the police station stepped forward.

"Sheriff, we suspect you have serious racist tendencies and we no longer want to work for you. We are collectively resigning."

William: “…………”

Although there were indeed black police officers in the American police departments during this period, they were generally only responsible for black areas, and their number was extremely small, with no more than a few hundred in the entire New York. To put it bluntly, they served as intermediaries or liaisons between the police department and the black areas.

It would be easy to mobilize a hundred or eighty people, but he absolutely could not let them go at this time. After all, once they left, their police station would completely lose contact with the black people in the Lime District and become completely deaf and blind. Then when he faced the reporters' questions, he would probably not even know what to answer.

He took a deep breath and had to give in. "Everyone, we have worked together for such a long time. After all, I selected you all to join the police station. You can't give me..."

Before he could finish, Hank interrupted him and said, "I want to be a deputy sheriff."

"What? You...you shouldn't act so foolishly at this time!"

"Then we resign to express our anger towards you white racists. This is the resignation letter."

After that, dozens of black police officers in New York actually took out their resignation letters at the same time.

William's head was buzzing.

"Deputy, Deputy Sheriff, I personally agree, but you know, this isn't something I, a sheriff, can decide. It requires Mayor William's approval. You know, our mayor is William O'Dwyer, and he's a Democrat. He might not approve."

Hank: "Oh~, so it's the Democrats who are deliberately suppressing our black race's advancement within the police department? Brothers, resign, and put the blame on Mayor William!"

Sheriff William quickly reached out to stop him: "Stop, stop, stop, stop."

William was speechless. Mayor William was his uncle, otherwise he would not have been the sheriff. If he really allowed these niggers to act like this, he would be in big trouble.

The political situation in New York is already very complicated. The mayor is a Democrat, and the governor is the next Republican candidate, who will most likely be the next president. Those who work on the lower levels are fed up with it on a daily basis. As a daughter-in-law, the thing she fears most is being involved in party disputes.

President Du had already caused the Southern Democratic Party to split because of his support for the black movement. Now if Mayor William offends black people because of this, then...

Although the situation itself is difficult to handle, and for the Democratic Party, the situation in New York has clearly deteriorated to the worst, Mayor William can actually still pretend to be dead at this time. After all, there is still the governor above him. After all, Dewey is next year's candidate, and the news' attention is all on him.

He is a Republican candidate, and no matter how he operates, this matter can be understood as a party dispute. But if the blame is really put on their Democratic mayor, this matter will be enough to ruin Mayor William's political career.

"Okay, okay, I promise you. Tomorrow, you will be the deputy sheriff, and I will take care of the mayor's side."

"We demand that black police officers be allowed to patrol outside of Ryme, including in Manhattan, and that we be given normal opportunities for promotion."

William was also desperate: "Adjust, adjust, I'll adjust it for you tomorrow, okay?"

(End of this chapter)