America 1881: Legend of the West

Just when Chen Jianqiu was trying to make money on the other side of the ocean.

Holly returned to California.

He came back with a halo.

The strike in Shiquan Town was a very successful attempt.

The victory is obvious.

Excluding the conflicts with the Chinese workers, this strike achieved its goal perfectly without bloodshed.

Hawley gained prestige.

He became a leader of the Wyoming Knights of Labor and a leader of all labor unions.

The impact of this strike is also far-reaching.

For the first time, the white people in the West discovered that the hard-working and honest Chinese could bite when pushed.

And, it hurts.

White people are polarized on this.

Some people think that we should face up to these Chinese workers who dare to protect their own interests. They are not so weak;

Some people are more willing to publicize the threats posed by the Chinese.

They believe that these Chinese have become more dangerous after they learned to resist.

It doesn’t matter what views these people in the West hold.

One thing is for sure.

At least in Wyoming, no one dares to brazenly launch violent attacks on Chinese settlements.

This strike also allowed some union leaders to see the infinite possibilities of union between Chinese and white workers.

Of course, these people definitely do not include the bearded Cronin.

"Zhao Jiawei?"

"Liu Fu Hai?"

In the office of the California Knights of Labor, Cronin was frowning and reading the names on the roster one by one.

This roster is a list of workers who have recently joined unions in California.

"Snapped!"

The roster was slammed on the table.

"Are these Chinese workers?" Cronin asked Holly angrily.

"Judging from the name, it should be." Holly replied lazily.

Cronin jumped up from his chair.

He opened the roster again and pointed at the obviously Chinese names on it: "Look, look, there are so many."

Holly pointed to the names on the roster:

"Not only that, but also the ones below, Jamie Xu and Zach Huang, oh, and that Sam Lloyd, whose English name he changed."

Cronin felt that his beard was about to fly.

He slapped the table:

"When did they sneak in?! Why let them in? When did the Knights of Labor allow Chinese workers to join?"

"You said you want to develop our power. The more people, the better." Holly said disapprovingly.

"Yes, I said it, but"

Cronin's eyes were on fire and he was about to reprimand Holly.

But he suddenly found that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the office.

The bearded man raised his head and found Holly with his hands in his pockets and no respect in his eyes.

Behind him stood Duncan, Gordon, and Bowen, staring at him blankly.

After coming back from Wyoming, Moody (Holley) seemed like a different person!

In Cronin's impression, he was a young man who was full of energy and a complete fool.

But now, it's completely different.

Is it because he became a labor leader in Wyoming?

"Moody, haven't we talked for a long time?" Cronin calmed down for no reason, "Do you have any opinion on me?"

"No, Mr. Cronin, you will always be my guide and the leader of the labor movement in California. I respect you very much."

Holly said so.

However, the bearded man could not hear any respect from his words.

"Then tell me, why did you bring these Chinese workers in?" Cronin tried his best to sound friendly.

"For the Knights of Labor, sir," Holly replied calmly.

Cronin knew that if he continued to say this, he would not be able to say anything.

So, he began to test Holly's bottom line:

"If I asked you to clear out these Chinese workers now, would you be willing to do it?"

"Okay." After Holly said that, he turned and walked out of the office cabin door, and the officers were behind him.

Cronin was the only one left in the office.

The bearded man sat down on the chair.

Sure enough, he brought it out by himself. It had only been a few days, but he was no longer in his eyes as the president.

He decided to show this ignorant boy some color.

Cronin found Bede.

"Boss, you finally remembered me?"

Bede looked at the bearded man resentfully.

Ever since Big Beard fully trusted Holly, he had not seen much of the leader of the California Knights of Labor.

"Go, think of a way to hold a rally and gather the earliest members of the union. I want to announce something very important at the rally."

The bearded man didn't even say a word of comfort, and directly gave the order to Bede.

Meanwhile, in the secluded back garden of Hanif's house, Holly was having afternoon tea with Hanif.

"Leave it to me." Hanif closed the newspaper in his hand and picked up the coffee on the table next to him. "The boss has told me that you will not touch dirty things."

He walked past Holly and patted the blond young man on the shoulder like a big brother.

Two days later, at night.

Cronin was sitting in his office, suddenly feeling uneasy.

He will be leaving for the meeting venue in a moment.

It's still the warehouse next to the dock.

In the past two days, Big Beard has been wandering around the labor union below, trying to see if Holly has followed his wishes to clear out the Chinese workers.

But in the past two days, Holly and the others did not hold any gatherings.

Therefore, he could not conclude whether the young man followed his instructions.

The bearded man glanced at the clock placed in the corner of the office.

The time is almost up and it’s time to go.

When he walked out the door, he found that the outside was shrouded in heavy fog.

The street lamps emitted a hazy light in the fog, faintly, like a shadow.

Cronin rode his horse through the fog.

Everything around him looked hazy and unclear.

Just like he can't see the specific situation of the California Knights of Labor at all now.

The fog gets heavier the closer we get to the pier.

It was difficult for Cronin to find a reference, so he could only follow the coast and feel his way towards the pier.

There were no pedestrians on the road.

However, while walking, Cronin suddenly heard the faint sound of horse hooves coming from behind.

The sound of horse hooves obviously did not come from the horse under his crotch.

He stopped his horse and looked back.

There was nothing but thick fog.

And the sound of horse hooves suddenly stopped.

Cronin looked back and moved forward.

However, as he set off, the sound of horse hooves sounded again.

This time, he really heard it.

There was indeed someone behind him, and they were following him.

When he walks, he will go behind; when he stops, he will stop behind him.

Sweat ran down his back.

Cronin's hand subconsciously reached into his arms.

There is a revolver there.

Used for self-defense.

The bearded man took a deep breath and turned around again.

He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the dark fog:

"Who? Come out!" Cronin roared.

No one answered him, there was no sound of horses' hooves or people's voices, and there was silence all around.

Cronin felt that it was not an option to continue like this.

He picked up the reins, kicked the horse in the belly, and drove the horse to gallop in the fog.

However, it was dark night and foggy.

Riding fast in such low visibility is not a good idea.

Cronin's horse stepped into a pit and threw him out.

The bearded man struggled to stand up and touched his forehead.

There is bad news and good news.

The bad news is that his head was broken and his hands are now covered in blood to the touch.

The good news was that when he looked up, he found the exterior wall of a building in front of him.

This happens to be the location of today's rally - the dock warehouse.

He knew nothing about this warehouse.

Cronin straightened his clothes.

He walked along the wall and quickly found the side door of the warehouse.

Usually, this is where they enter.

At this time, no movement could be seen or heard outside the warehouse.

It seemed that Bede and the elders had already entered the venue and were ready.

Cronin walked slowly to the door.

He looked back again and breathed a sigh of relief.

We finally arrived at our destination, damn the weather!

Cronin raised his hand, faced the door, and knocked softly six times.

The side door opened with a creak.

A dark figure appeared in the crack of the door: "Come in."

Cronin walked through the door without thinking.

However, the scene in front of him the next second was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

The warehouse is almost entirely filled with Chinese workers.

More than a hundred yellow faces turned to him at the same time.

"Welcome to the union rally, Mr. Cronin!"

Holly stood on the stage and said to him.