Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Chapter 18 Shifting the Blame East

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Van der Linde gang has swept through Northern California, and five gold mines have already been looted!"

"Lawlessness! A disgrace to the civilized world! Gangs run rampant in the heart of California as if they own the place!"

"People's lives and property are being ravaged; what can the government do besides collecting taxes?"

On the streets in the early morning, newsboys waved newly printed newspapers, their childish voices echoing throughout the streets and alleys.

Various eye-catching headlines were printed on the newspaper, arousing the curiosity of passersby, who all asked for a copy.

The huge lead-type headline and the impactful text captured everyone's attention, while the hand-drawn scene of corpses scattered everywhere startled many.

After the initial shock, fear and anger quickly escalated.

"What is our government doing? Why doesn't it send in the army to hang these damned thugs?!"

"This is a blatant provocation against all California citizens and against federal law! Damn it, they've killed at least a hundred people these past few days!"

"God help me, I just bought shares in one of the gold mines last week, now I just pray that my investment won't become worthless!"

"This damn world is getting more and more dangerous! Are there any trustworthy security companies in California? I have a shipment to deliver to Siskey County next week, and I'm already hesitant to do it."

Such discussions are spreading in San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose, in every pub, shop, street, and family table.

Public opinion surged like a boiler under increasing pressure, eventually and inevitably crashing into the state government building in Sacramento.

"Damn thugs! Of all times, it had to be this time!"

California's current governor, John Bigler, seems to be in a state of utter disarray.

The Democratic Party in California was already weak, and with the opposition American Party and Whig Party constantly hindering him in the state legislature, his governorship was already quite frustrating.

Now this has happened. He can already foresee how the opposition members will vehemently accuse him of being "weak and incompetent," "condoning thugs," and "bringing shame to California" in tomorrow's legislature.

A trusted aide cautiously spoke up: "Governor, the public pressure is too great. Should we deploy the army?"

John Bigler retorted, "The army? Which army? The federal troops were only transferred out six months ago, California hasn't even established a standing armed force yet, are you sending militia?"

"Leaving aside Southern California, let's talk about Northern California. The mayor of San Francisco is a staunch supporter of the American Party, and the mayor of Sacramento, Parker Fisher, would love nothing less than to kick me out of this office right now."

Would they obediently hand over command of their militia to me to put out this fire that could ruin my reputation? They'd rather the fire burn even brighter, so they could see me roasted alive!

The aide looked worried: "But Governor, if you do absolutely nothing, it will be a fatal blow to your re-election bid next year. Voters will think you..."

"Re-election? To hell with re-election!"

John Bigler scoffed, a mocking smile spreading across his face. "Ever since the American Party's nonsense about getting rid of the Irish, the Chinamen, and the Catholics took hold in Northern California, I, the Democratic governor, have long been seen by voters as an eyesore who should step down!"

Those inflammatory, purely American voters are now only thinking about eliminating incompetent people like me and those who are not of their kind!

"But those idiots never considered that without the hard-working Irish and Chinese, and the Hispanics who cleared the land, how could California have developed so quickly?"

A moment of silence fell over the office. Suddenly, another aide, Trenton Gan, took a few steps toward the wall and pointed to the map of California on it.

"Mr. Governor, what's done is done, complaining won't help, we should try to find a solution."

"If you look closely at the locations of these robberies, they are all concentrated in the area where the Sacramento River Valley meets the foothills. Legally and administratively, this area clearly falls within the jurisdiction of the city of Sacramento, and the city government should be responsible for maintaining order and combating crime."

He turned to John Bigler and said slowly, "How about this: you give a speech in front of the state capitol building this afternoon, and then invite some familiar newspaper reporters over."

"During your speech, you first expressed your deepest sympathy to the victims, strongly condemned the gang's atrocities, and solemnly promised that the state government would not stand idly by and would take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its citizens."

He paused, his tone subtle: "Then you can emphasize that, according to California law and the principle of local autonomy, the primary responsibility for action in such policing cases lies with the local municipal government."

You will immediately and personally urge Sacramento Mayor Mr. Parker Fisher to promptly organize and deploy effective armed forces, in accordance with the powers and responsibilities entrusted to him by the citizens, to suppress the bandits and restore order. You and the state government will provide full moral and administrative support.

John Bigler initially listened with a frown, but then his eyes slowly lit up and the corners of his mouth began to turn up uncontrollably.

"Damn it, Gan, you're a genius!"

"If that bastard Parker Fisher sends troops, regardless of victory or defeat, I can claim that the progress was made under my personal supervision and the attention of the state government, and I will get a share of the credit."

If he doesn't send troops, or if he does send troops but gets soundly defeated, then he'll be seen as derelict in his duty and utterly incompetent. All the criticism will turn against him, and he'll be forever branded with shame.

And I, I have always been the governor who cares about the people and actively coordinates efforts!

John Bigler clapped his hands loudly, his gloom vanishing in replaced by excitement and pleasure. "Let's do it! I can't wait to see Parker Fisher's sour face!"

Trenton Gan remained calm, showing no delight at John Bigler's praise. He pulled a document from his pocket and said, "Governor, there's another matter concerning the California Partition Act."

"The bill has a high chance of passing in the House thanks to our combined efforts with our Southern allies. But the outlook is not so optimistic in the Senate. There are voices of opposition from the American Party, the Whig Party, and even within the Democratic Party."

"Some people worry that division will weaken California's overall political influence, while others disagree with the specific demarcation line."

The California Partition Act, as the name suggests, divided California into two parts.

This proposal existed when California was first established as a state.

Southern California is predominantly populated by Hispanic descendants and immigrants from the southern slave states. They are generally dissatisfied with the dominance of Northern California, centered around San Francisco and Sacramento, in tax and land policies, believing that their own interests are being ignored. Many Southern Californians aspire to establish a new state that supports slavery.

This force is also one of the core support bases for John Bigler and the California Democratic Party in California.

John Bigler recognized this, which is why he made promoting partition a core political goal during his term, in order to consolidate his base in the South and pave the way for his own and his party's future.

The bill is quite simple: the southern counties, extending north to parts of Monterey, Merced, and Mariposa counties, become the state of Colorado. The remaining northern counties, including Del Nott and Sisquieu counties, become the state of Shasta.

"Give me the list of those wavering elements within the party, and I'll talk to them one by one."

John Bigler frowned. "This bill must move forward, no matter what. Only then can I continue working in the party, and only then can I save my political life, and yours as well!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

That afternoon, in the mayor's office at the Sacramento City Hall.

"John Bigler, you despicable, shameless son of a Democratic bastard!"

Sacramento Mayor Parker Fisher slammed his glass to the ground, shattering it and splashing wine everywhere.

He had just learned through a message from his subordinates about the governor's impassioned speech to reporters. The governor said he was heartbroken about the current situation and would urge him, as mayor, to send troops to wipe out the bandits.

That Democratic bastard not only cleverly evaded all direct responsibility, but also conveniently shifted the blame onto him.

Parker Fisher was trembling with rage, his teeth practically grinding to powder. But he couldn't do nothing, since it had indeed happened within his jurisdiction.

"Alright, alright, Bigler, just don't give me a chance!"

Fisher, panting heavily, forced himself to calm down.

Even though he was unwilling, he knew that he had been cornered by this move and had no choice but to follow the path drawn by Bigler.

He summoned his secretary and said in a deep voice, "Immediately draft a proclamation stating: The Sacramento City Government takes the recent banditry in its jurisdiction very seriously. In order to protect the lives and property of its citizens, it has decided to immediately conscript and arm a special militia force to eliminate the bandits and maintain local order!"

He thought for a moment and said, "As for the militia to be recruited, let's choose the Sartre Rifle Team. Tell them that the mayor needs their services and that the pay will be generous."

The militia is mainly composed of local farmers, hunters, and veterans, and is considered one of the most organized and relatively well-equipped civilian armed forces around Sacramento.

Although the group was small, it had at least undergone some training, which was better than a hastily assembled rabble.

Soon after, a total of fifty white men arrived from various parts of Sacramento. After receiving rifles, bullets, and gunpowder, they left Sacramento and headed towards the Sierra Nevada Mountains, led by a former army lieutenant.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Where did you say hundreds were killed? It was only seventy-three."

Inside the two-story building in Chinatown, he used to flip through the newspapers of the past few days with one hand, complaining as he read.

The system clearly recorded that he had leveled up to level seven, and the upgrade condition had changed from killing sixty-four humans (14/64) to killing one hundred and twenty-eight humans (23/128) .

He flipped to a report detailing the Sacramento city government's response measures, and when he saw the name of a certain militia group, he raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Su Song, who was organizing a stack of factory material lists next to him.

"Su Song, the Sutter Rifle Team mentioned in the report, sent out by the mayor—could the name be derived from John Sutter, whom we know?"

"Indeed, my lord." Su Song put down the list and nodded affirmatively. "Not only that, Sutter Street in San Francisco is also named after him."

He once scoffed, tossed the newspaper aside, and sneered, "They seized his land, ruined his family, and then hypocritically named streets and militias after him. That's exactly what white people do."

"My lord, let's put aside other people's grudges for now. You should take better care of your health first," a calm voice interjected.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a thin face. He withdrew his hand from taking the pulse and sighed, "My lord, you have worked too hard for too long, resulting in spleen and kidney yang deficiency and deficiency of both qi and blood."

Although there has been some improvement after taking the medicine these past few days, the root cause of the illness has not been eliminated, and the symptoms of deficiency remain. It is still necessary to take daily herbal decoctions that are sweet and warm invigorating, and tonify the kidney yang, in addition to resting quietly, in order to gradually eradicate the root cause of the illness.

"I know, I know, I take my medicine on time every day and finish it completely."

Looking at the assassins he had summoned, who possessed the ability to heal the sick and save lives, he shifted the blame, saying, "Li Shizhen, I think you should shift your focus of supervision. I saw it yesterday; some workers complained that your medicine was bitter and spilled half of it after drinking it."

The assassin named Li Shizhen frowned: "Is that so? It seems I'll have to have someone supervise the distribution of medicine next time."

This assassin was summoned two days ago. In addition to him, another one was summoned, one Chinese and one Western. He named them Li Shizhen and Alexander Fleming.

He originally planned to wait two more days before recruiting, to first establish the research and engineering teams.

However, when several people in the workers' dormitory area experienced persistent diarrhea, fever, and lethargy, he feared it might be cholera or typhoid fever, infectious diseases that were extremely easy to break out in the 19th century and had a very high mortality rate, so he immediately summoned the authorities.

After a thorough examination and diagnosis by the two, it was fortunate that it was just an upset stomach, and the patient would be fine after two days of rest.

But this incident also served as a wake-up call.

After their initial inspection of the entire factory, the two issued a stern warning: improper wastewater and garbage disposal, poor personal hygiene, and a breeding ground for fleas and lice…

If not dealt with promptly, a large-scale infectious disease outbreak is only a matter of time.

Having heard such things before, he felt a chill run down his spine and simply granted Li Shizhen and Fleming full authority to oversee the sanitation of the entire factory.

After several days, the results were quite remarkable.

Li Shizhen formulated strong-smelling herbal fumigants and washes, which effectively killed mosquitoes, fleas, and rats in the dormitories and factories. He also prepared a tonic to strengthen the body's constitution, which everyone drank daily.

Fleming directed workers to thoroughly clean their individual sleeping quarters and wash clothes and bedding with hot water and alkaline soap. He also established strict hygiene regulations, such as centralized garbage disposal, regular cleaning, and boiling of drinking water.

At their request, engineer Lu Ban designed and dug a new sewage ditch to directly discharge domestic sewage and excrement into the river.