Wild North America 1846

Chapter 13 Shanhaiguan

There was a sound of horseshoes from outside the valley in the distance. Li Cha looked up, then got up and went to the side to untie the reins on the horse post, jumped on the horse, and shouted;
"drive……"

The healthy horse trotted along the hillside, and then began to accelerate when it descended to the bottom of the valley, and galloped away with four hooves flying.

Standing on a hilly plateau at the entrance to the Grape Valley

You can see the towering roofs of European-style buildings in Fangcaodi a few kilometers away. If you have a telescope in your hand, you can even see whether the men who came out of the town have beards.

east direction
It is an unobstructed and open area, which can be seen more than ten kilometers away. There are green grass on the gentle hills with scattered high and low slopes, and there are a large number of shrubs dotted in it. There is a rugged dirt road extending into the distance.

This is the road often used by gold diggers, leading to the American River several 10 kilometers away.

This dirt road can pass four-wheeled carriages, and there is a three-fork intersection ahead, and the branch road leads to the direction of the new town.

At about 5:00 pm

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and a group of more than 20 riders escorted more than a dozen four-wheeled carriages back. The carriages were full of Chinese gold diggers with joyful expressions, and their excitement was beyond words.

These are all gold diggers who had a great harvest by the American River. They returned to the Grape Valley in a carriage. Their bodies were filled with the harvested gold sand, even large and small pieces of gold. It was no longer safe to continue to sleep in the shack by the river. .

Those Chinese who did not return obviously had little gain, so they continued to stay by the river to pan for gold.

Li Cha came galloping on horseback, and the cavalry captain that Datang would be responsible for escorting was called Gao Shiheng, who was also one of the four gunmen who followed Li Cha at first.

Gao Shiheng led several riders out of the convoy to meet him, slowed down on the way, and saluted Li Cha with his cowboy hat on his hands.

"Da Longtou, the brothers are all back."

"How's the situation by the river?"

"It's okay today. Several groups of white people and Mexicans came to harass one after another. They wanted to find the fat sheep. There were a lot of people, seven or eight, and we went up to drive them away. Tell them that these Chinese with braids are all us. Datang will catch it, these horse bandits saw that we have a large number of people, so they retreated in desperation after saying a few hard words."

"Well, brothers have worked hard, let's go back first!"

Li Cha nodded in satisfaction, and beckoned to let Gao Shiheng and others escort the convoy ahead, while he sat high on the horse, watching the convoy pass by like a reviewing army, waving his hands and nodding in return from time to time.

The riders passing by here and the Chinese gold diggers sitting in the four-wheeled carriages will respectfully take off their hats and salute him, with a smile on their faces and a look of harvest.

With the protection of the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese gold diggers felt more secure, thanks to Li Cha who was riding on the horse, which made him famous in the Chinese circle for a while, and his prestige soared.

in the wild west
Don't mention the old qualifications, high reputation, and those who were born in a famous family don't use empty heads, as long as the fists are strong and the strength is the last word.

Among the tens of thousands of gold diggers along the American rivers, there are whites and Mexicans from the eastern United States, as well as Chinese and indigenous Indians. The composition is very complicated.

Even among the white gold diggers, there are countries and languages ​​such as England, Ireland, Prussia, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Most of these people are illiterate, and their language is rude.

Therefore, in order to compete for a good gold mining area or river bend, countless fights and murders are staged here every day, and the death of a few or a dozen people is simply too common.

Often Chinese gold diggers just discovered an area rich in gold mines, and they would be beaten, driven or even robbed by white gold diggers who came nearby after hearing the news, and many of them died as a result.

in most cases
The Chinese gold diggers could only leave with humiliation and hatred amid the wild laughter of the white people, because the white people are rich and powerful and cannot be provoked.

It was the early days of the San Francisco Gold Rush, and there were no claims of land titles or mining licenses, and it was all raw chaos.

Anyway, as long as a gold digger holds a shovel and a pickaxe, or a pan, he can start his gold digging career by the river.

Where there are people, there is society, and where there are groups, there is competition.

After the discovery of gold in the American River, white gold prospectors quickly gained the upper hand.

That's because the white gold diggers had more guns, backed by the dreaded Alexander Madison, another white boss in Newtown, a rapacious and bloodthirsty guy who killed hundreds of people under his command.

Alexander Madison was originally a second lieutenant officer in the Michigan Independent Cavalry Regiment. After the Mexican-American War in 1845, by chance, he learned from a Mexican officer who had served in Upper California that gold was found here. mine news.So he came up with the idea of ​​deserting.

In order to prevent the news from leaking out, he secretly killed the Mexican officer, gathered more than a dozen friends in the army, took horses and weapons, broke away from the cavalry regiment, traveled thousands of miles westward, crossed the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and finally arrived at San Francisco, the land of dreams and wealth.

After coming here, Alexander Madison was like a fish in water. With his excellent military quality and ruthlessness, he quickly made his mark and became the dominant figure in the new town.

Alexander Madison regarded himself as "the patron and defender of the interests of the white gold diggers". He quickly grew through fire and other white bandits, and occupied the best river bend by the American River, where he did both gold panning and protection fees. Secretly, he was still engaged in murderous activities, so he quickly broke out.

Among the three white powers in San Francisco

If the old John Sutter is the leader in the new town, then the bloody Alexander Madison is the raptor, rising the fastest.

Captain William Richardson, who established Fangmeadow, is a standard businessman and builder. His behavior is introverted and he is not easy to get close to. He attaches the most importance to law and order, but San Francisco is a place without laws.

The power of the local sheriff in the hands of old John Sutter was appointed by him with his huge power, commonly known as "private police".

In San Francisco, there is also a local force dominated by the Mexican Juan Carlos, whose influence cannot be ignored.

Juan Carlos is native white, the descendant of white Spanish in North America, which is his proud identity.

As the lieutenant officer of the Mexican Garrison in Alta California, he has more than 200 cavalry and more than 350 infantry, stationed in the eastern part of the new town.

After the white militiamen took up guns and drove away the Mexican governor, Juan Carlos transformed himself, took off his military uniform, and became the largest businessman in the area, the leader of the Mexican ethnic group, and a very influential figure in the new town.

The ridiculous thing is that the Spaniards never recognize these native whites, thinking that their blood is as low as the native Indians, and they slaughter them without mercy. This is a later story.

sunset sky
Li Cha followed the convoy back on horseback, and it was almost 5 o'clock when he arrived at the entrance of Grape Valley.

Arriving here, I have already seen the smoke rising from the grape valley, and one after another wooden houses are located in it, which is like a painting against the backdrop of mountains and rivers, which is too beautiful to behold.

The returning gold diggers got off the four-wheeled carriage one after another, and flocked to the hills to see the surprise. The defensive parapet under construction has taken shape, which brings a great sense of security to people.

It seems that a gate has been installed at the mouth of the valley, and you are not allowed to enter unless you are.

I heard that checkpoints, fortified walls, and Diao Dou Mulou will be built here, which has aroused the attention of the people from the bottom of their hearts, and there are endless chatter and comments, all of which are overwhelmingly praised.

If there was still an element of coercion yesterday, then the positive image of the Datang Society has been fully established today, and it has truly won the unanimous support of the Chinese.

To say a thousand words and ten thousand is a serious lack of security.

seeing the time is ripe

Li Cha drove the horse forward, sat on the horse and said loudly;

"Brothers Huagong, everyone, be quiet and listen to me..."

When he yelled, the crowd suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to this heroic young gunman, full of admiration and joy, and also a little bit of fear.

Seeing that everyone was quiet, Li Cha continued to speak loudly;
"The establishment of the Datang Society will serve as a strong security barrier for the Grape Valley and benefit all Chinese laborers. This is what we said and what we did. Everyone can see every bit of it clearly.

but now
We were facing a serious threat from the Agreement Hall. Just before noon, 16 armed horse bandits from the Agreement Hall tried to flee into the valley and commit crimes.

Three of them were killed and 13 others were captured..."

When Li Cha said this, there was a burst of exclamation from the crowd, and then they heard that the gangsters had been captured in one fell swoop, which immediately turned into enthusiastic cheers, interrupting his speech.

The agreement hall is notorious for its many evils. If this group of horse bandits were really allowed to enter the village and harm the people, it would be a disaster.

Not to mention the few wealthy households in the village who have wives, children, and family members. These single gold diggers hide gold dust more or less under the bed, on the beam, and in the urn at home. go?

"Thank you, young master, and the brothers of the Great Tang Society, you are really Bodhisattvas who save the suffering!"

"Isn't it? If you let these villains in, it's really bad luck, thank God!"

"Fortunately, with the Datang Club, we will have support in the future..."

"Everyone be quiet, listen to me first..." Li Cha had to interrupt the cheers one after another, he stretched out his hand and pressed down, and said loudly after he calmed down a little;
"As the saying goes;

There is only a thousand days to be a thief, how can there be a thousand days to prevent a thief?

You all have also seen that due to the immediate threat, Datang will suspend military training and take the lead in building a defensive parapet, but this is not enough.

Agreement hall suffered such a big loss, it is impossible not to retaliate.

Therefore, I hope that after you go back today, you will take my words to the villages.

before dawn tomorrow

All the people in the villages who could climb came here to help build the wall, whether it was axes, saws, picks, shovels, wagons or other tools, they all brought work.

We must repair Taniguchi's defense facilities as soon as possible. Only in this way can we ensure the safety of all of us. This matter is urgent and closely related to everyone.

As for this pass, I call it "Shanhaiguan Pass". Only when Shanhaiguan Pass is truly built and perfected can all the talents live and work in peace and contentment, and make a fortune by panning for gold.

After making a fortune, build a beautiful mansion in the valley, marry a wife and have children and live a stable life without worrying about bandits attacking day and night.

Let me tell you, isn't that right? "

"Yes..." More than 200 people answered in unison, the momentum was really not small.

After answering, thinking of the happy place, everyone looked at each other and laughed. The laughter was full of yearning and joy for a better life in the future, and it seemed particularly joyful.

(End of this chapter)