Chapter 96: Choice

"Mr. Liang, what are you doing for me?"

Colonel Griffin put on a straight military uniform, with an army saber on his waist, and received Liang Yao in the reception room of the military fortress. Google search reading

"I'm here to congratulate you, Colonel Griffin, that you can finally return home as you wish." Liang Yao congratulated Griffin.

Griffin is a man who knows how to live his life. Although this is a military fortress, Griffin's private courtyard has been decorated very warmly and even feels a bit like home.

"Thank you, and I also congratulate you on becoming the Sheriff of California, Colonel Liang." Griffin sat down on the sofa.

Being able to leave this place of right and wrong and return to my hometown is indeed a happy thing.

After he leaves, no matter how much trouble Liang Yao and the New York consortium make, it has nothing to do with him.

Griffin knew that Liang Yao's special trip to the military fortress was not just to congratulate him.

"I think Mr. Liang came here not just to thank me," Griffin said.

"I want to buy some weapons from you to equip my soldiers in the future. In California, it is not easy to buy enough weapons to equip an infantry regiment."

Liang Yao got straight to the point and directly explained his purpose.

"It will be a very cost-effective deal for you to exchange the weapons for gold and bring them back to Georgia."

"Then what will I do to deal with the Indians in my hometown when I go back?" Griffin pretended to decline.

"Indians? Georgia Indians? Are you kidding me, Colonel Griffin? As far as I know, before I was born, you were scalping the Georgia Indians, and they were taking their territory." It has already become your cotton field," Liang Yao said with his legs crossed.

This guy thinks he knows nothing about the East.

"Besides, you have gold in your hands. Are you worried about not being able to buy enough arms when you get to Georgia?"

"If you can put in a good word for me in front of the officials of the War Department, I would be willing to sell you some weapons. My troops are equipped with the most advanced rifled guns in the United States. Even if you have enough gold, you still have to hold them. Gold lines up at the gate of the arsenal.”

Griffin didn't expect Liang Yao, a young man who had just immigrated to California from the Qing Dynasty, to know so much about the far eastern state of Georgia.

He heard that the new president was very fond of this young and promising young man, and even applied to Congress for a silver medal for him. Although Griffin speculated that there might be elements of transaction, it was enough to prove Liang Yao's status in the mind of the new president.

"That's natural. After all, you are stationed at the California flagship and have made outstanding contributions to maintaining law and order in California." Liang Yao said calmly.

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William Walker was a member of the Boston Company.

Seeing that all his former companions have become rich and wealthy bosses, Walker regrets his behavior of stealing the company's gold, leaving the company, and finally falling into trouble.

Bandits are not easy to deal with. Although they can gain a lot of money after looting, Brandon will distribute the looted wealth and supplies.

While Brandon relied heavily on his deserters and fellow countrymen, Walker and the others were just marginal members of the team and were not welcome. They always suffer when distributing wealth and supplies.

Moreover, as the defense forces in the Sacramento mining area have been strengthened, it has become increasingly difficult for them to succeed in their looting activities, and their losses have become greater and greater.

Although Brandon took advantage of the New York consortium, he was not optimistic about it.

Because so far, the help the New York Foundation has given them is only some verbal promises and cannot provide them with substantial material support.

On the contrary, Brandon asked them to give some of the few supplies they had worked so hard to grab to the gentlemen of the New York consortium. This made Walker deeply dissatisfied.

I followed you to eat and sleep in the open air, and risked losing my head to gather with you in the mountains and forests. But in the end, you gave the stolen supplies to those consortium masters and didn't share them with me?

Also regretting it were Oliver Martin and John Fuller, who had chosen to leave the Boston Company with William Walker.

Just like before, the three of them once again made the choice to leave the Brandon bandit team.

They are people from the gold mining company, and Brandon trusts the deserters more, so in the bandit team, they are the hired gunmen and employees of the gold mining company and are discriminated against by conservative backgrounds.

Now that their patience has reached its limit, they decide to leave the bandits secretly.

William Walker chose to go to the Boston Gold Rush Company, and his old boss, Captain Webb, had already returned to Boston.

Now the leader of the Boston Company is Dr. Robinson. Walker knows Robinson. Robinson is a kind and good man. Walker feels that Robinson will accept him again. So Walker decided to sneak back to Sacramento.

Martin and Fuller also decided to leave, though they had no plans to return to the Boston company.

They heard that there was a gold lake in the Sierra Nevada area to the east, where there was endless gold.

Although it sounds a bit exaggerated, Martin and Fuller decided to look for the legendary Lake of Gold and try their luck there.

They no longer want to be a bandit in fear.

On a dark and stormy night, the three of them parted ways again, each embarking on a different path in life.

Although Robinson is a kind-hearted good old man, his kindness has a bottom line.

Robinson knew that if he accepted William Walker again, it would have a very bad impact on the Boston Company.

Moreover, the Boston Company has now grown into a large gold mining company with strong financial resources.

Robinson's good reputation also brought benefits to the Boston Company. Many miners and hired gunmen came to join the Boston Company.

The Boston Company is not short of miners now, let alone gunmen.

Robinson was not polite at all to Walker, who stole the company's few golds and abandoned the company when the company was in the most difficult time.

Robinson directly tied up Walker, a dangerous person, and personally sent him to San Francisco.

"Sheriff Flagg, you are here too, great, look, who I brought with me."

When Robinson arrived at Tingtao Garden, Flagg happened to be there.

Unlike Colonel Griffin, Flagg chose to stay in California.

The economy in the east is not good, although the public security in some places is getting worse and worse.

But in order to reduce fiscal expenditures, the government also made a decision to lay off police officers.

Flagg felt that if he returned to the East, he would not fare any better than in California.

Moreover, now that California was about to become a state, if he stayed in California, his path to promotion would be broader.

Flagg hoped that Liang Yao could fund him to expand the police station in San Francisco.

Compared with the San Francisco area, which was thriving and developing more and more rapidly, the old and dilapidated police station in San Francisco looked very shabby.

In return, Flagg promised to recruit more Chinese police officers to join the California Mounted Police.

"William Walker? This is a dangerous guy. Isn't he in Brandon's team? How did you catch him?"

Walker was a mercenary who had participated in many wars. He was a notorious tough guy in the 49-year-old miners' team, and later joined Brandon's team.

There was a wanted order for Walker in the police station, and Flagg was very surprised that the Boston Company could catch Walker.

Flagg gave Walker a hard punch. When he was chasing Walker, Walker injured one of his subordinates.

"Mr. Walker, this punch is for my friend."

"Is he from Brandon's team?"

Liang Yao looked at the five-foot-nine-inch (175cm) strong man.

He arrived in Sacramento in January 1850, and was not very clear about the grudges between the 49-year-old miners.

Since Walker was from Brandon's team, he must have known Brandon's gangster team very well.

"Are you Mr. Liang? Great, Mr. Liang, I hope to work for you. I have been a mercenary for eight years, and in Europe. In addition, my shooting skills are also very good."

Seeing Liang Yao, Walker seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and promoted himself to Liang Yao.

"I need some brave mercenaries with actual combat experience to be my guards, but unfortunately, you have been a gangster." Liang Yao expressed his attitude.

After hearing Liang Yao's words, Walker was like a deflated ball, listless and very lost.

"If you can provide some information about Brandon, I will speak a few words for you to the judge during the trial. This is your only chance to make a contribution." Liang Yao stared at the lost Walker with eyes as sharp as a golden eagle.