The battle for Roswell was lively but not intense.

The first wave of soldiers on the farm, led by the bearded man, were powerless.

Wiltord and his second wave of soldiers fought the militia in the cornfield for a while, but were soon overwhelmed by Niu San's grenades and trolls.

The Union soldiers who took off their pants and surrendered were soon handed over to the state government by Chen Jianqiu as bandits who attacked the area.

According to Chen Jianqiu's meaning, he did not kill them purely because he and the local residents of Roswell were good peace-loving citizens, but these bandits who attacked citizens' property should be prosecuted.

Not to mention how the state government will deal with these dejected remnants of the defeated army, Chen Jianqiu is prepared for the federal government's overreaction.

He knew that there were many hawks who were dissatisfied with himself and the Chinese, both in Congress and among the big capitalists.

Whether their motivation is envy of their wealth or their innate white supremacist mentality, they cannot see themselves and the Chinese growing in power.

This friction with the federal border guards will most likely give them an excuse, even some extreme targeted actions.

They may have outlined the nature of the battle, incited public opinion, and exaggerated the threat posed by the Chinese.

They will use all media resources to attack Chen Jianqiu and smear him as a careerist.

They may even find President Cleveland and ask him to issue a mobilization order and organize an army to conduct military operations against the Chinese populates in New Mexico and Okalahoma .

All of this is within Chen Jianqiu's consideration.

After all, with such a development of Chinese power, it is unrealistic for you to expect that everything will be fine.

Chen Jianqiu was ready.

He knows very well that the United States is now a country where the spirit of business is paramount, and as long as the cost of doing something is greater than the benefit, it will not be so easy to succeed.

However, the development of things was still beyond his imagination.

There was no movement at all!

A month has passed.

Whether it's Washington or New York, Congress or Wall Street, there's no reaction at all!

Judging by the news from the Border Detective Agency, the Chinese Suffrage Alliance, and the Finance and Legal Center, there is no news of the battle coming out from the east.

Chen Jianqiu was a little puzzled.

This is somewhat unusual.

He decided to take a trip to New York to see what was going on.

A few weeks later, Mr. Chen's train stopped at Brooklyn Station.

Surprisingly, after stepping out of the train, he saw a familiar figure.

Theodore Roosevelt, wearing his instantly recognizable round-rimmed glasses, stood on the platform and waited for him.

"Holiday told me you're here today." Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu walked side by side, "It just so happens that I haven't seen you for a long time, so I asked him not to come, I'll pick you up." ”

"The New York Police Commissioner came to pick me up in person, and I have a lot of face." Chen Jianqiu said with a smile.

"I'm not the police chief in New York now, I'm hanging on to the Department of the Navy." Roosevelt pointed to his civilian clothes, "Look, don't you even wear a police uniform?" ”

"Hey, look at my memory." Chen Jianqiu patted his head, "You don't say that I forgot, but this is a bright rise and a dark fall, right?" ”

Roosevelt had a helpless smile on his face:

"Maybe the citizens of New York still like a more tolerant police chief. But for me, things are not so bad, I have always been interested in the Navy. ”

Chen Jianqiu nodded.

He suddenly remembered something, and asked Roosevelt in a low voice:

"Teddy, I just have something to ask you, do you know about the clash between New Mexico militia and Union soldiers on the border two months ago?"

When Roosevelt heard this, his face did not become serious, but his smile became even bigger, and he looked gloating.

He glanced around, then leaned over with his head tilted:

"I'll tell you more about it when I get into the carriage."

The two of them got out of the station.

A carriage had stopped at the entrance of the station.

The coachman waved his hand at Chen Jianqiu.

"Sir! Because Mr. Roosevelt said he was coming to pick you up, the lady and the young master stayed at home and waited for you. The driver said.

"How many times have I told you, John, don't call me sir, just call me 'Mr. Chen'." Chen Jianqiu walked to the carriage.

This driver is his full-time driver in New York, who used to work in Little Aster's family, and after Chen Jianqiu bought the mansion, he worked for Chen Jianqiu's family.

The young man is very good in everything else, and his driving skills are also good, but he is a little stunned.

As is customary, he handed Chen Jianqiu a copy of the New York World of the day:

"Okay! Master. ”

Chen Jianqiu was a little helpless, took the newspaper, and boarded the carriage with Roosevelt.

"Come and sit with me first?" Chen Jianqiu and Roosevelt sat down face-to-face and asked.

"That's exactly what I mean." Roosevelt said with a smile.

"You're moving your family to Washington now?" Chen Jianqiu asked.

"No, like you, my wife and children are still in New York, and I come back every other month, like today, just to come to you." Roosevelt replied.

He took out a cigar from his clothes, cut off his tail, and handed it to Chen Jianqiu.

"Taste, Cuba, there has been a lot of chaos over there lately, and the goods routes are not smooth, this is stock."

Chen Jianqiu took the cigar, lit it and put it on his mouth:

"By the way, didn't you say you were going to tell me about the border? What's the inside story? ”

Roosevelt lit his cigar and smiled:

"Chen, you're really a bit ruthless."

Chen Jianqiu shrugged his shoulders:

"The state militia did it, I happened to be in Lincolnshire a few days ago, and I heard that it seemed that Roswell Farm was attacked by a gang of bandits, so I taught them a lesson, but then I heard that it was the federal border army of the United States."

"Teach the bandits not to use heavy machine guns and grenades." Roosevelt glanced at Chen Jianqiu meaningfully, "Others don't understand, I don't know you yet." ”

"It's all the same, although that place is small, but after all, it is a place where everyone has paid their hearts and minds, and the citizens there have legal status, all pay taxes and abide by the laws and rules there, and any provocation and attack will have a price, unless the attacker is ready to exchange blood."

Chen Jianqiu looked out the car window and said faintly.

Fall in New York City can be a bit bleak, and the higher latitudes dictate the city's early winter.

An autumn wind blew, rolling up the yellow leaves on the ground and bringing up a cloud of dust.

"Chen, I like your spirit." Roosevelt puffed out his cigar cigarette, "I recognize that this is the spirit of the Americans, and today's politicians and businessmen are too focused on profit and loss to have the courage to expand their territory when they move west." ”

"What? Is the Army ready to retaliate? Chen Jianqiu's gaze withdrew from the window and glanced at Roosevelt.

Roosevelt burst out laughing.

"Revenge? Haha, do you know why there has been no movement in Congress until now? This matter was pressed down by the War Department itself. ”

Chen Jianqiu thought he hadn't heard clearly:

"Press down? Why did they press it down? ”

After all, it was a US Army colonel who died, not some motley low-level officer; The owner of those hundreds of corpses is also the real US Federal Army.

"Because the War Department itself thinks it's too embarrassing!" Roosevelt laughed.

On the night of the quarrel with Wiltord, Burke knew that the latter was in trouble, so he left with most of his cavalry.

They followed the railway line all the way east, first to a small town, where they rested.

And he himself took the train to Austin, the capital of Texas.

There, he escalated everything to the top of the military district and, through the top, spread the news to the War Department.

Burke put the blame on Wiltord.

The march across the border, the incompetence of the subordinates led to the mutiny of the soldiers under his command, and then to the robbery of the column.

Of course, he also made it clear about the attacks of the militia in the desert.

According to his inference, although the opposite side is dressed as a Mexican army, in terms of combat quality and firepower, it is by no means a border motley army.

If the Mexican army had that ability, I am afraid it would have reached Austin a long time ago.

In short, it was Wiltord and Chen Jianqiu who were in a hurry, and they had nothing to do with him.

Thornton, the deputy secretary of the Army who received the news, knew the seriousness of the matter and hurriedly asked people to contact New Mexico to investigate.

A week later, the message came back.

A group of men in army uniforms were brought to court in Santa Fe on charges of attacking towns posing as army soldiers.

The worst thing is that some of these people actually confessed their sins!

Thornton's whole face darkened when he received the telegram.

His first reaction was to press the matter first, and not let the outside world know the news.

But there are no impermeable walls.

Soon, the Admiralty next door also knew about it, and Roosevelt also knew the ins and outs of the whole thing at this time.

The two sides are not dealing with each other in the first place.

The War Department was soon reduced to a laughing stock.

When the regular army attacked the border town, they were wiped out by the local militia, and they were brought to court and tried as criminals.

This is simply an unprecedented humiliation for the military since the founding of the United States.

This is despite repeated explanations from people at the Department of the Army, Roswell's militia is not your average militia, but the National Guard's border elite in New Mexico.

But everyone except the War Department was not convinced.

They believe that this is just a unilateral excuse for the army, and it is absolutely impossible to cover up the chaos in the army's management of the army and the low combat effectiveness.

But they tacitly kept the secret a secret.

Because the ugliness of the family should not be publicized.

If Mexico's dead hero knew that his neighbor's army to the north was so weak right now, he wouldn't have crawled out of his coffin and pointed his sword at Washington.

As for how to deal with Chen Jianqiu and Roswell's militia, two opinions have also formed within the War Department.

One is that the Chinese have such a strong force on the border and that they are a threat, and they must be eliminated or disarmed as soon as possible.

The other believes that the Chinese militia is also the militia of the United States, and is part of the national armed forces of the United States, and as long as they do not rebel and become independent, there is no need to provoke them.

The two sides engaged in a head-to-head discussion in the War Department's domed conference room.

But the latter suffocated the former speechless:

The National Guard was originally a force responsible for the defense of state lands, and if they didn't rebel, what happened if you sent an army to disarm them? Is the Union army attacking the homeland? Civil War? What about the face?

This can only be done by politicians.

But this matter can continue to spread, otherwise the army will face the verbal and written criticism of those parliamentarians.

Thornton was thrilled to think about.

And so the end result was gone.

Roosevelt laughed as he spoke, almost choking on his own cigarette.

"If they really do it with the Spaniards, I'm afraid they will not be driven directly into the sea." Roosevelt said.

"Spaniards?" Chen Jianqiu raised his eyebrows.

He keenly grasped the key words.

"Are you sure you're going to fight the Spaniards?"

Roosevelt did not rush to answer this question, but snorted at the newspaper in his hand.

Chen Jianqiu picked up the newspaper in his hand.

In order to save costs, Pulitzer used a yellow, low-quality paper for the New York World.

This is also the reason why this newspaper is called the "yellow tabloid".

Chen Jianqiu opened the newspaper.

The above news content quickly attracted his attention.

"Can we really sit idly by while the 'butcher' Viller-Nicolau carries out a brutal massacre in Cuba?"

"The plantations are under siege and our assets are burning! Our interests are being violated! ”

"Righteous people! Hold your chests out! It's on our doorstep! Say no to the Spaniards! ”

The newspaper mainly described how the Cuban rebels were brutally suppressed by the Spanish governor "butcher" Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau.

And how American interests have suffered.

The article uses highly incendiary language to state the author's point that the United States should intervene in the uprising in Cuba.

"It's been almost a year since the uprising in Cuba, hasn't it?" Chen Jianqiu closed the newspaper and raised his head.

"Well, the rebels are fighting a bloody battle with the Spaniards, and the new governor is very vicious, and the two sides are at a stalemate." "But the rebels are exhausted, and if we don't give them any more help, they're afraid they won't survive." ”

"What does the government mean?" Chen Jianqiu continued to ask.

"Cleveland wants to mediate, but as we all know, the Spaniards are not fools, and the chances of mediation succeeding are slim to none." Roosevelt shook his head, his face full of mockery, "That's childish." ”

"As for the partisanship, there are also divisions, and many people are afraid that the war will affect the stability of the economy, after all, the impact of the financial crisis is still there, and many people are worried."

"But they forget that this kind of stability is a false proposition if America's overseas interests are ignored!" The more Roosevelt spoke, the more angry he became, "These people have lost the glory and enterprising spirit of the westward march, and this is on our doorstep!" ”

"Without this courage and vision, the United States would never have been able to become a first-class power!"

"So, you're the main battle faction?" Chen Jianqiu was thoughtful.

"What about you?" Roosevelt asked rhetorically, "What do you think?" ”

"I'm a businessman." Chen Jianqiu's answer was the same as always.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Roosevelt's eyes, but Chen Jianqiu's next words made the disappointment disappear in an instant.

"But an arms dealer." Chen Jianqiu added, "I like war. ”

"I'm still a banker, and I like to lend money to people, for example, the federal government, and war needs money, so I like war."

In the carriage, Roosevelt and Chen Jianqiu smiled at each other.

They all had other calculations, and they didn't say it to each other, but they both tacitly acknowledged it.

Roosevelt wanted to gain higher prestige and more voice in the Republican Party; And Chen Jianqiu is eyeing that place in Cuba.

However, it is estimated that the matter of starting a war will not be realized under the current term of President Cleveland.

Chen Jianqiu glanced at the date in the newspaper, this year is 1896, it is the year of the new general election.

A new U.S. president and government will be born, and bets will begin again.

And this time, he will also be one of the players.

(End of chapter)