After the Battle of Chattanooga, the Xuan army was reduced a lot, and recruiting new recruits had to be put on the agenda.

Of course, the emergency solution is to recruit troops on the spot, but this is not easy, Tennessee was originally the territory of the Confederacy, and those who are willing to join the Northern Army are the Belt and Road Party, not too many. The main thing is to run to the north to find someone. Originally, this matter was just thrown to the Ministry of War, but after the war department, the vast majority of the new army sent by the Ministry of War would definitely continue to be Americans, and they would not be able to return to China.

Therefore, even if the Americans are recruited, Xuan Jun himself has to be involved, hoping that he can abduct more when he returns home. The American people in this era have not seen much of the world, and it is not difficult to deceive a large number of blue-eyed and big-nosed dicks on the ship. What's more, there is such a haode sign as Wall, everyone is a brigadier general, and the major general has no choice but to run after the battle, and he married the daughter of a beautiful rich Chinese family as his wife.

But this is only an international column, and the Xuan army cannot all become foreign troops, and the main force must be Chinese.

Where are the Chinese? in California.

Before Guan Zhuofan left for the United States, because of the construction of the Pacific Railroad, the number of Chinese laborers in California had exploded, and the total number of gold diggers had reached tens of thousands, and this number was still growing every month.

This is the most haode source of soldiers: the vast majority of them are young and strong men, bold, hard-working, and disciplined. And there is almost no need to be picky, because if you can leave your hometown and travel thousands of miles to a strange foreign country to ask for life, you must have the above conditions. Those who are timid, who can't endure hardship, and who are hanging, can't do this job.

California's shallow sources of minerals that can provide a fortune opportunity for ordinary gold prospectors – mainly in river banks. It's already limited. A large number of Chinese with "gold rush dreams" are being forced to change careers. Xuan Jun just provided them with a very attractive opportunity for "reemployment".

There is a traditional Chinese saying that "good iron does not hit nails, and good men do not serve soldiers", and the soldiers of the old dynasty had low income, low social status, and poor image; But the United States is completely different, and the income and social status of the soldiers are relatively high, which the Chinese quickly felt after arriving in the United States.

And the best part. As a Chinese laborer, doing the same work, the salary is less than that of a white man; As a soldier of the Xuan Army, he was paid more than other white troops!

As for returning to China in the future, Guan Zhuofan is sure that his Xuan army will be treated far better than any other army in China.

It is also important to note that since the gold diggers and Chinese laborers were able to leave their homes behind, their psychological identification with the original government in China would naturally decrease, which was very conducive to cultivating personal centripetal force and loyalty to Guan Zhuofan. It will be very helpful for future events.

The Ye Mao that Guan Zhuofan saved before. This is where it comes in handy.

Speaking of which, this Ye Mao is also the initiator of the Central Pacific Railway's recruitment of Chinese workers, which can be regarded as suitable for both people and land, and it is suitable to be sent to recruit troops for the Xuan Army among Chinese workers. Ye Mao offended the Irish gang in the Central Pacific Railroad Company, and was forced to go into exile, but it didn't matter, Guan Zhuofan appointed him with the title of "Special Envoy for Volunteer Service in the Western Theater of the Federal Army".

Guan Zhuofan was not worried that the Chinese workers would not sign up, but he warned Ye Mao: You can only repay the favor, not the revenge.

Ye Mao is nominally just a "small official" and belongs to the "unentered stream", but if he is ruthless, he can completely become a "Door Destroying Order Yin", the means are very simple, just put a hat on the other party to "sabotage the federal government's recruitment work".

It was a time of war, and I don't know how many people were arrested without any formalities and hanged without any trial, especially by the end of 1863, when both the North and the South were completely killed.

For example, the six Irishmen who were taken by Guan Zhuofan to sacrifice the flag were somewhat wronged. Guan Zhuofan gave them security on the charge of "serving the rebels and engaging in espionage". Of course, the death penalty can be imposed for "espionage", but in reality, these six "serve the rebels", but they do not "engage in espionage", they do smuggling work.

The North and the South went to war, and trade was cut off, but both sides had the goods resources that the other needed, and the South needless to say, the manufacturing capacity was weak and there was a shortage of everything, and the North also needed cotton from the South. As a result, underground smuggling has never stopped, and both sides have turned a blind eye, and even many military officers, including senior generals, have been involved in this activity.

Originally, it was a crime that would not lead to death, but Marquis Guan wanted to use their heads to boost morale, so these six unlucky ruffians had to "engage in espionage activities" to swing.

If Ye Mao uses the power in his hands to entangle old enmities, he is likely to delay the business, and Guan Zhuofan is in a hurry.

When the soldiers are recruited, they don't come in handy right away, they have to be transported in a big circle first, and they have to be trained before they can really be used on the battlefield. It would be better for the recruits to be able to catch up with the Battle of Atlanta, but this is more difficult, so the Battle of Savannah will have to be in time at the latest.

Therefore, it must be solemnly advised.

Ye Mao is very eye-catching, a little transparent, and he swears that he will never miss the big thing, otherwise he will "come and see you".

Of course, Ye Mao alone could not do it, and Xuanjun sent two other "special envoys" to California with Ye Mao to handle this matter, one Chinese and one American. Kwan wrote a letter to the governor of California, asking him to help. At the same time, the War Department also sent an official letter to California, instructing it to fully support the recruitment work in the Western Theater.

Of course, Xuan Jun is digging the corner of the Central Pacific Railway Company by doing this, but it is still the same sentence, it is a time of war, and even if the boss of the Central Pacific Railway Company is unhappy, he will not dare to make anything bad, and besides, there is a steady stream of Chinese workers, which will not have much impact on his project.

After doing this, Guan Zhuofan finally found time to have a detailed conversation with Shandushi, who had been staying in the hotel for several days, to deal with his personal affairs.

The business of the American division is very smooth, especially Standard Oil, because it is located in Cleveland, Ohio, on the south shore of Lake Erie in the Great Lakes, and the north shore of the lake is Canada.

Sandoz said excitedly: "Rockefeller, this young man is really amazing, he starts steadily and accurately, and eats them one by one, I don't think it will be long before the entire Cleveland oil refining industry will be swallowed up by Standard Oil!" Moreover, our products are not only sold to the East Coast, but also the European market has opened up - Guan Houye, you see that people's eyes are really good! ”

Guan Zhuofan listened with a smile, thinking, this is just the beginning.

Spirited, Sandos continued: "It is rare that he did not have the slightest hobby, smoke, drink, gamble, have no second woman except his wife, and always worship earnestly—John would have been a particularly competent priest if he had not been in business. Also, I have never seen him enjoy a little luxury, and the best thing is that this simple habit has been completely brought into the business by him, Guan Houye, I have never met an entrepreneur who is more able to control costs than him. ”

This passage made Guan Hou Ye feel a little ashamed, I have a second woman, and it seems that there is more than that......

After praising the Rockefeller, Sandoz asked: Are there any further investment goals?

Yes, of course. But the time is not yet fully ripe, and we need to wait a little longer. However, there is one thing that can be bought now, and it must be bought now.

What is it? Land.

During the war, there was a shortage of materials and a lot of things were expensive, but there was one thing that was much cheaper than before the war, and that was land.

After the war, the United States built on a large scale and entered the so-called "Gilded Age", and these lands did not rise several times or several times, but dozens or hundreds of times.

Other investments, such as Rockefeller's Standard Oil, are considered long-term investments; And now when you buy land, you can realize it after a year at the earliest, which is both short and long.

The house is just as cheap, but you don't know when a cannonball hits, and no matter how cheap it is, it's a pile of ruins, no better than land, and it can't be broken.

*(To be continued......)