North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 29 Edgar Allan Poe
"Lee, are you finally ready to strike gold?"

A-Zu nodded and said, "I came here across the ocean and thousands of miles just to pan for gold, didn't I?"

Upon hearing this, Jason said seriously, "Li, believe me, although a few people have made a fortune in gold mining, with our current company, we can make money much faster than gold mining!"

"Besides, gold mining is a very dangerous business! In the wilderness, the weather, diseases, wild animals and poisonous snakes, as well as Indians and bandits, any one of them can easily take your life!"

"The most dangerous thing isn't these. The most dangerous thing... is the other gold diggers!"

Jason's expression was unusually serious. "Lee, if you don't find a place with a high gold content, it's fine. But if you do find a place with a high gold content, other gold prospectors will soon flock to it. Stealing your mine is the least of their worries. Killing you and feeding you to the wolves is the usual practice!"

Ah Zu's expression remained unchanged: "Of course I know all this!"

Weiweian nervously tugged at Zu's sleeve: "Zu, listen to me this time, don't take any risks!"

A-Zu patted the back of Vivian's hand comfortingly: "I don't want to take risks either! But panning for gold is a step we must take!"

"A-Zu...!" Vivian was anxious!

"Li, why?" Jason and Vic also became nervous.

The company has just started and has just tasted a little sweetness. At this time, no one can be missing, but A Zu, the backbone, is absolutely indispensable!
A Zu waved his hand and said, "Listen to me, why is gold mining imperative?"

"We had jeans, trailers, and pedal sewing machines, but San Francisco was too small. Even California was too small!"

"The entire California population now has only about 100,000 settled people. If you include gold prospectors and adventurers, there are no more than 200,000 people."

"Such a small population means the market size is also small, and our company's products will soon be saturated."

“Even across the entire West, where California is located, most of the area is sparsely populated wilderness and simply doesn’t offer much of a market.”

"So, in the near future, we will need ships, lots and lots of ocean-going ships!"

“We need to build a strong ocean-going fleet to ship our products out and bring in people from all over the world!”

A Zu knew very clearly that just two years later, in the Qing Dynasty, in the place where four chickens were killed, an unprecedented peasant uprising would break out!

The Taiping Rebellion caused the loss of over 100 million people across China in just 13 years.

Most of the hundreds of millions of people who died in the war were concentrated in the relatively wealthy and culturally advanced Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangxi areas.

By then, it will be an unimaginable human tragedy!

With A-Zu's current abilities, he was completely powerless to prevent the outbreak of the Taiping Rebellion.

All he could do was build ships, build the largest possible ships, and transport out the countless compatriots who were destined to die in the war in the future!

Moreover, it is not just the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

During this era in the Qing Dynasty, a peasant uprising would even break out every three days!
The most fundamental contradiction in the current Qing Dynasty was the large population and limited land, which was also the fundamental reason for the repeated peasant uprisings.

The land under our feet is vast and sparsely populated, and it just needs a huge population to develop.

What would happen when you transport countless compatriots who are about to die in the war to the other side of the ocean, completely changing the population structure of this vast land?
A-Zu is looking forward to it!
However, at the current rate of capital accumulation, it is impossible to build a sufficiently strong fleet in just two years.

Therefore, you must pan for gold! You must make the most money in the shortest time!
Even if it means taking a little risk!
Thinking of this, A Zu scanned everyone's expressions and asked, "So, do you understand why I must pan for gold?"

Vivian and Daisy covered their mouths and fell into deep thought.

Vic and Jason looked stunned, completely shocked.

"Lee, your heart is so big!"

"Li, your ambition is indeed scary!"

A Zu smiled faintly: "A man without ambition is no different from a salted fish."

At this point, A-Zu changed the subject: "Vivian, how many Chinese people have you recruited?" Vivian replied, "Over fifty have been recruited. They are currently learning to build Eden cabins at the shipyard. They haven't been officially recruited yet."

"With the existing technicians and the dozen or so people on our ship, there are now over a hundred people in the shipyard."

"Convert all the Chinese workers we've already recruited into regular positions! They've come across such a long ocean, just like me. It's not easy for them."

"Of course, we have to continue recruiting." A Zu thought for a moment and said, "I will personally select some strong, hardworking and down-to-earth people from among them to form our own gold mining team."

A Zu paused again, then suddenly said, "I want to buy a gun!"

"A gun? That's easy!" Jason replied, "Lee, what kind of gun do you like? I'll buy it for you!"

"No! Not just one or two. Well, forget it. Invite the gun dealer you know to come over and talk to him."
-
At the same time, in the heart of San Francisco, Nob Hill is where the wealthy class of San Francisco is concentrated.

On the top of Nob Hill, a black carriage with gold decorations sped along, and finally stopped outside the gate of a manor under the skillful control of the coachman.

The gate slowly opened, and two white horses took small steps, pulling the carriage into the manor.

A moment later, the carriage stopped at the door of a luxurious three-story Spanish colonial-style villa.

A middle-aged white man with a broad forehead, a mustache, an extremely slender neck, and wearing a black windbreaker got off the carriage.

The manor steward came up quickly and said respectfully, "Welcome to Cameron Manor, respected Mr. Edgar Allan Poe!"

Poe remained serious, nodded slightly, then took out a white handkerchief, covered his mouth and coughed violently.

"I'm sorry! Mr. Poe is in poor health and has to make such a long journey..."

Poe finally stopped coughing and waved his hand calmly: "Take me to see old Cameron!"

A moment later, Edgar Allan Poe saw the old man in the wheelchair in the study.

"Mr. Colonel, Mr. Poe is here!"

The housekeeper whispered softly in the old man's ear.

The dozing old man was awakened, raised his head and looked at Edgar Allan Poe standing in front of him.

This old man is covering his blind eye with a black eye patch!

There was a piece of the old man's lip missing, revealing his atrophied gums!

The old man's face was covered with hideous scars!

A very scary face!

"Ellen, you're here at last. I heard you were ill and dying?"

The old man stared mockingly at Poe with his one eye.

Poe again covered his mouth with his handkerchief and coughed violently.

After a moment, he put the bloodstained handkerchief into his pocket and replied, "Old Cameron, I heard that your son died. He was poisoned! And, looking at you, you're almost dead of old age!"

"Haha!" Old Cameron laughed, and his leaky lips made his laughter sound like the howl of a night owl!
When old Cameron smiled, his face full of scars looked like a twisted worm, constantly twisting!
"Ellen, you still have such a sharp tongue!"

"I hope your detective skills are still as sharp as before!"

"Ellen, help me find the real murderer who poisoned my son, and from now on you will never owe me anything again!"

Thanks to book friends such as Miscellaneous Brand Milk Powder Can, VZhanVWangV for their monthly ticket support!

Thank you to all book friends for your recommendation votes and support!


(End of this chapter)