The U.S. Legislature is the local authority, and for this reason, the U.S. legislature should meet quickly to deal with the situation. However, the current state legislature is empty. Not only the state councils, but also the city councils are empty. The only thing that is able to operate is the governor's office of Minnesota. The leaders finally came with a few important figures, including the commander of the National Guard, including the personnel of the Ministry of Finance. There were also some important people who didn't come, such as the construction manager and the head of the state police.

The Chinese came too fast. In 1889, two or three hundred kilometers was not a very short distance for a country like the United States. Of course, the news of the war between China and the United States reached St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, but when I thought that China was still three or two hundred kilometers away in the north, and that there were hundreds of thousands of U.S. federal troops between the Chinese army and São Paulo, the leading figures in the city of St. Paul felt very safe.

There must always be a warning of an accident, such as the Chinese army defeating the federal army. And it is impossible for such news not to be known to the leading figures of São Paulo. The governor of Minnesota keeps a close eye on news from the front every day, and until today, before the Chinese suddenly appeared in St. Paul, all they got was that the two sides were at war and that the U.S. federal government forces had launched an offensive to try to push the invading Chinese out of the border.

It was such a peaceful morning, and war suddenly came. Chinese troops appeared in all directions at the same time, and if it wasn't for the actual hearing of the gunfire, if it wasn't for the actual sight of the gunshot wounds on the people who were responsible for transmitting the information, the governor would not have believed that the war had broken out anyway.

"Your Excellency, please send the National Guard to lead troops to block the Chinese attacking the railway station." Paul 61 Smith, the head of the railroad company, was one of the few non-government members assembled in the governor's office, and he spoke in an urgent tone and looked nervous. As soon as he said this, the governor was given birth to the judgment of the property of the railroad company that the well-known wealthy man in the city of St. Paul most wanted to keep.

Looking at the expressions of the leaders around him, the emaciated Paul 61 Smith showed an insulted expression, and he was already standing in front of the fat-headed, big-eared governor, with his hands on the edge of the walnut desk. Now he stood up straight, his slender eyes full of essence, combined with the hooked nose and the deep grooves on both sides of the nose, he looked very powerful, and even a little convincing by his momentum alone.

Pointing to the map, Paul 61 Smith exclaimed, "Your Excellency, gentlemen. The railway is located in the center of São Paulo. And there is no place to block it on the railway. If the Chinese army follows the railway to the city center, in less than ten minutes, they will be able to kill you and me! ”

These words immediately dispelled the misconceptions that leading figures in Minnesota had about Paul 61 Smith. The train station is now the center of the city in the United States, and the state legislature, state government, city council, and city government are also the center of the city, or the center of high overlap with the train station. The capture of the railway station by Chinese troops meant that they could launch an offensive against the government and parliament that were close at hand.

Seeing that the big man had finally regained his senses, Paul 61 Smith pursed his lips in exasperation, which was so large that his hooked nose twitched twice. Suppressing his exasperation, Paul 61 Smith continued: "I have sent the troops on the railroad to the low-grade Chinese, if Your Excellency and the gentlemen do not give our troops assistance, what will happen next?" ”

The big men actually value their lives far more than ordinary people, and without Paul 61 Smith to explain more, the governor immediately ordered the National Guard to send troops to join the railroad troops, or at least to build a new line of defense that could hold back the Chinese army.

Paul 61 Smith immediately left the governor's office in a state of confusion as soon as his goal was achieved. Getting into the carriage that was waiting for him, Paul 61 Smith ordered, "Hurry back to the train station." ”

By this time, the road was in complete panic, and Paul 61 Smith could see many people panicking in front of their homes and not knowing what to do, and he could also see some people carrying duffel bags and running to the west side of the city. St. Paul is east of the Mississippi River, and it is not only a railroad but also a waterway. There was a pier to the west of the city, and shipping to Lake Superior ended when it reached São Paulo. Small boats can, of course, sail on shallower waterways, but larger ships cannot. To escape St. Paul, cross the Mississippi River to Minneapolis across the river.

In addition to these people, there were also horse-drawn carriages parked in front of their homes, and these people placed their luggage on the frame on the top of the carriage in large bags. However, these people were only just beginning to prepare to flee, so there were a lot of horse-drawn carriages on the roadside, but there were no horse-drawn carriages on the road.

It took ten minutes to get back to the train station, and Paul 61 Smith went straight to the small square in front of the train station. At this time, more than 100 people had gathered here, and judging from the oil stains and soot on their clothes, they were all railway workers. All of these guys fought with long guns, and some of them also had short guns stuck in their waists.

Paul 61 Smith stood up the steps and shouted to the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, I will recruit in the name of the railroad company to those who can hold this line, and give fifty dollars each!" Do you know all of this? ”

"Fifty dollars is too little!" The middle-aged man standing in front of everyone immediately answered. He had a large grease stain on his chest, a lot of oil and soot on his cuffs and trouser legs, and a pair of tattered leather boots on his feet. No matter how he dressed, the middle-aged man was quite energetic, and the messy hair on his head like a bird's nest could not hide the somewhat strange spirit.

"I'll give $75!" Paul 61 Smith immediately raised the price. After shouting this number, Paul 61 Smith saw that the expressions on the faces of many workers loosened. But they didn't speak.

Again his eyes fell on the face of the middle-aged man in the front, and he saw that the middle-aged man's lips were tightly closed, and his cheeks were squirming, as if he was rinsing his mouth with saliva. After gargling for a while, the middle-aged man spit on the ground, then showed a mouthful of yellow teeth and smiled, "Since there is going to be a war, you can't do it without a hundred dollars!" ”

Without waiting for Paul 61 Smith to speak, the middle-aged man continued: "Give each person two more packs of cigarettes and a bottle of wine." ”

"Good! Each person was given four packs of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, and another hundred dollars! Paul 61 Smith agreed without hesitation. When the gun-wielding workers heard this reply, they immediately cheered excitedly. There were even workers who raised their spears in the air and shook them in the air.

"Gentlemen, Qingxian is quiet!" Paul 61 Smith hurriedly interrupted this cheer with some signs of revelry, "If we can't hold the train station and let the Chinese seize here, we will have nothing?" Do you think the Chinese will continue to hire you? How is this possible! They came here to kill, to loot. We are in the same situation as the Indians were in the past. If we don't, we'll lose everything! ”

The history of the West is the history of the blood and tears of the Indians, and the white people who made the Indians blood-stained and tearful naturally know the tragedy. The banks of the Mississippi River were once the site of large Indian tribes, and now Indians are no longer to be seen here. So Paul 61 Smith's propaganda is particularly convincing, and when the whites occupied the area, they didn't even think about making the local Indians part of the new city. Even if there were, it was only for the Indians to be buried deep in the ground and become a stepping stone and fertile ground for the whites.

Paul 61 Smith's description of the situation really touched the hearts of those who were willing to fight, and the joyful expressions dissipated from the faces of the men, and a sense of solemnity arose.

Of course, Paul 61 Smith had no intention of breaking his word. The gang was soon given two packs of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, and fifty dollars in cash. The rest is to be given at the time of the war. When the workers saw that Paul 61 Smith had no intention of sending them to the front, but had them guard the railway station with buildings as shelters, they also found this condition acceptable.

With that done, Paul 61 Smith prepared to return to his office. At this moment, more than 50 people who had not joined the ranks of the workers came to him. The bodyguards nervously held down the pistols at their waists, but Paul 61 Smith was not bluffed by the gang. He walked past the bodyguards and asked the well-dressed men, "Engineer Montes, are you going to guard the train station too?" ”

"We want to go to the front." The leader of the engineer replied. He had a fair face, a cleanly shaved beard, and a pair of glasses. looks polite.

"So what do you need me to help with?" Paul 61 Smith asked calmly.

"We need weapons." Engineer Mendes said with some unease.

Seeing that most of the engineers and technicians and their families were empty-handed, Paul 61 Smith smiled heartily, "I'll send someone to take you to the arsenal now." But Mr. Montes, do you really want to go to the front? ”

"We want to defend the country!" Engineer Mendes pushed his glasses and replied in an enthusiastic tone. Perhaps because of the change in the angle of the lenses, there is even a white light reflected on the glasses.

"Sir! It's an honor to be able to provide weapons to people like you! Engineer Mendes's actions seemed to have touched the railroad company's wife, Paul 61 Smith, so much that his voice couldn't help but choke up.

After saying that, Paul 61 Smith turned to the secretary who had been following him and said, "Take them to the arsenal, and give each of them one long and one short gun." Bullets told them to bring more. ”

Hearing that the owner of the railway company, Paul 61 Smith, was so generous, and the engineer Mendes was also quite moved, he couldn't help but push his glasses again, and said emotionally: "Your Excellency, with people like you supporting us, we will definitely be able to defend São Paulo and beat those Chinese." ”

Seeing off Monters and the others, Paul 61 Smith finally returned to his office. As soon as I entered the office, I saw someone waiting inside. Paul 61 Smith looked at the man who looked like him, and saw that there was no one else in the room, and all the excitement or dissatisfaction on his face vanished without a trace. Paul 61 Smith asked, "Have you got the ship?" ”

"I got a boat, but they asked for ......," replied the young man.

Paul 61 Smith interrupted his nephew's answer with a wave of his hand, and he calmly replied, "Just get on board." With so many people holding on, I think I can withstand it for hours. Now hurry up and get your family and money on the boat, don't go to Minneapolis, go down the river to the shore on the other side of Lake Superior. Let's go to Chicago together. After saying that, he added, "Be quick! It must be done within three hours! ”