America 1881: They Call Me Legend

Chapter 555

There are various things on the grid behind Chen Jianqiu, including ceramics, knives, and even animal skulls, all of which are famous products.

But most of them are still empty.

These empty grids seem to have gaps in the middle of a row of teeth, which looks really ugly.

"Mr. Chen, why are those grids behind you empty?" Hannah looked at those grids and couldn't help asking.

"Those grids will place a batch of things from my hometown in the near future." Chen Jianqiu said calmly while heating the teacup, "Some robbers will take them away from their original place."

"I don't want them to wander outside like children without a home. These grids are their homes. They will stay here for many years, and then return to their hometown someday in the future."

Hannah and McKinley half understood.

This Chinese is talking like a prophet, like a prophet?
Chen Jianqiu poured a cup of tea for each of the two guests in front of him.

But he himself turned around, took out a delicate small box from a compartment behind him, lifted the lid, and took out two sticks of incense.

He took out the match, lit the two incense sticks, and gently put them into the box in front of him, and then closed the lid.

A wisp of blue smoke floated out from the hollow in the lid.

The whole room was suddenly filled with a refreshing aroma.

Hannah sniffled:
"What kind of aroma is this? Mr. Chen?"

"This is a handmade incense stick. In my hometown, people grind the fragrant leaves into powder, add some traditional Chinese medicine, and reshape the finished product after a dozen processes, which can refresh the mind."

Chen Jianqiu took a sip of tea and said slowly.

"The burning of these two sticks of incense can take as little as 10 [-] minutes, but it may take several years to make."

McKinley said with emotion:

"The wisdom of the working people in the East is really unparalleled."

He took his eyes back from the exquisite incense box.

"Mr. Morgan mentioned you to us and praised you; Mr. Roosevelt did the same, but he told us that to meet you, we need a little, um, 'fate'?"

McKinley weighed his words.

He chose to use the word "luck".

However, Chen Jianqiu still had an unfathomable smile on his face, and shook his head slightly:

"No, Mr. McKinley, what we Orientals call 'destiny' is not the same as what you call 'luck'."

He put the teacup in his hand on the tea table.

"'luck' is luck, it is accidental, but 'fate' is inevitable in accident." Chen Jianqiu said with a smile.

"We in the East talk about 'karma', the world is formed by fate, and the world is destroyed by fate. Where there is fate, there must be a cause."

"It's fate that you and I can sit here and drink tea. It's because of Mr. Morgan and Mr. Roosevelt. But it's also because of your own efforts that you two can become leaders of the Republican Party. Everything is because of it. Everything is fate."

Chen Jianqiu said leisurely.

Hannah's head was about to explode.

This man looked too much like a fortune-teller from the East, not the princes that Morgan said.

But McKinley on the side was thoughtful.

"What about 'destiny'? Destiny?" He thought for a moment, then changed the word.

"It's a bit similar, but not exactly the same. 'Fate' is both accidental and inevitable. It is the unity of the two." Chen Jianqiu said.

He continued to pour a cup of tea into the empty teacups of the three, and said without raising his head:
"Several states in the West are new to the Union."

"Utah is influenced by California and is the territory of the populist party; the Republicans in Dakota and Montana have not figured out their positions; In the Chinese state, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party take turns in power, and the two are not sure."

Chen Jianqiu's tone was calm, but in the ears of the two, it sounded like thunder.

Is this man really as uninterested in politics as Morgan and Roosevelt claim?
Chen Jianqiu put down the teapot, but the conversation continued:

"Even within the Republican Party, the two have not yet reached a consensus with most people; apart from the two rebellious guys in New York State and Pennsylvania, there are also a group of silver standard supporters in the western states who hold the gold standard system as an argument. thing."

He paused, looked up, and glanced at McKinley.

"Your Excellency's road to election is full of difficulties."

Hannah and McKinley were stunned.

Chen Jianqiu's words hit the nail on the head, every sentence hit the point.

These problems are the main problems they face outside this period of time.

However, these problems did not appear at the same time, but gradually emerged during the more than a year of campaign preparations.

The Chinese in front of him could speak clearly in extremely short language.

This is so wicked.

Unbelievable, but quite shocking.

McKinley's mind was racing.

The aftertaste of tea still remains in the mouth and nasal cavity.

He stared at Chen Jianqiu, but found that the unfathomable Chinese on the opposite side closed his eyes after finishing speaking, and stopped talking.

Is it true that as this person said, meeting him is the so-called "fate", which is the "effect" in the front and the "cause" in the back.

Chen Jianqiu's appearance is an indispensable condition for him to ascend to the presidency?
McKinley finally made up his mind.

He imitated what the Chinese he had seen in Chinatown before, cupped his hands and said:
"Please teach me sir."

His words and actions startled Hannah who was beside him.

The old man is getting older, his reaction is slower, and his mind is still dizzy for the time being.

With his hand under the tea table, he subconsciously pulled the corner of McKinley's clothes.

But McKinley turned a blind eye, still maintaining the gesture of handcuffing:
"Please sir teach me!"

Chen Jianqiu still looked settled.

The wisp of green smoke floated out of the incense box and rose in front of him, adding a sense of mystery.

After a while, Chen Jianqiu opened his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I entered the meditation state just now, what orders do you two have?"

McKinley arched his hands again without hesitation:

"Mr. Chen, what you said is not wrong, what is the solution?"

Chen Jianqiu waved his hand:
"I'm just a Chinese who traveled across the ocean and came to the United States. I was lucky and made a bit of money. How dare I speak nonsense about the internal affairs of the Republican Party."

After all, his eyelids drooped again, as if he was about to fall into meditation again.

McKinley was in a hurry.

If the person in front of him enters samadhi again, he doesn't know when he will open his eyes again.

"Mr. Chen, you are wrong. The United States of America is a free country. Every legitimate citizen has the right to express his or her opinion, regardless of skin color." He said eagerly.

"I have no ill feeling towards the Chinese, especially after meeting you! I think they are hardworking, simple, and most of them are kind."

As a politician, McKinley has already mastered the skills of talking to people and talking nonsense.

He is very proficient in this set of rhetoric, and the "Chinese" in it can be replaced by other people who hold votes according to his own needs.

"Oh, do you really think so?" Chen Jianqiu asked.

"Yes, this is my true thought." McKinley said very "sincerely".

Chen Jianqiu turned to Hanna:

"That's what you think too, isn't it?"

In fact, the old man was still in a state of confusion. Seeing Chen Jianqiu asking, he hurriedly followed behind and nodded repeatedly.

Chen Jianqiu stood up.

He took away the teacups and teapots on the tea table, including the kettle with boiling water.

Chen Jianqiu turned around again, took a piece of crumpled folded paper from the grid, then turned around and walked back to his seat, while unfolding the paper on the tea table.

This is a western map, but it's no ordinary map.

The above describes in detail the current political ecology of the western states.

The drawer of this map is none other than the chairman of the "Chinese Political Alliance", Wang Qingfu.

In these years, he did not stay in New York or Washington, but traveled between the east and west.

Educated Chinese gradually began to appear in the government departments of the western states, and some even had some Chinese presence in the state legislature just like the New Mexico Territory.

These Chinese were carefully selected by Chen Jianqiu and Wang Qingfu, and had gone to colleges and universities for advanced studies.

With the help of Chen Jianqiu's influence, they boarded the political stage of each state, representing the will of Chen Jianqiu and the Chinese living in those states.

"First of all, two gentlemen, you need a lot, a lot, a lot of money." Chen Jianqiu made a big circle on the map in the west.

"I understand this. Morgan has made a political donation of 20 US dollars, and there will be more donations in the future. Based on past experience, I estimate that 70 million US dollars should be enough." Hannah took the lead Said.

"Not enough, not enough, not enough." Chen Jianqiu shook his head again and again, "As I told you just now, several states in the west have just joined the Federation."

"Citizens in these states are beginning to truly fulfill their powers and obligations in the presidential election for the first time!"

"Most of these people who hold votes in the west are not as well-informed as people in these old states in the east, so you need more money for publicity."

"For example, traveling around the country to give speeches, or using the media to promote Mr. McKinley, so that those citizens understand what kind of person they are voting for."

"You also need to hire a large number of people, at least thousands of people, to infiltrate every constituency with leaflets."

"Then how much money do you think is enough?" Hannah frowned.

"More than US$150 million." Chen Jianqiu said calmly, "I will also donate US$20."

"In addition, speeches all over the country mean that you need to quickly transfer from one city to another." He gestured at the map, "The west is different from the east. It is vast and many places are deserted. If you need to travel from one City to city, it can be very hard work."

Hannah agreed so much that it occurred to him what Morgan had said to him.

In the midst of the financial crisis, Chen Jianqiu and Morgan took the opportunity to hunt down the bottom line, and after carrying out a series of complicated operations such as restructuring, they took control of almost all the railway companies on the continent.

"The Pacific Railroad and the Santa Fe Railroad provide special trains designed to move Mr. McKinley swiftly from one city to the next."

Hannah and McKinley felt half relieved in an instant.

The Chinese in front of him looked very reliable, not only did he come up with ideas, but he also ended up personally.

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the map on the desktop:
"Next, let me talk about the specific issues of each state."

"Although Utah has a large number of Populists, the influence of Mormonism in the state is relatively large, so if it is handled well, it will not be a big problem to win."

"Because of the influence of the local silver association in Colorado, the 'silver faction' headed by state congressman Kohler within the Republican Party will not let it go."

Regarding this, Hannah nodded again and again:

"Yes, that kid named Kohler is clamoring that if we use the 'gold standard' system, he will take all of his people out of the party. This is giving us a headache."

Chen Jianqiu smiled slightly:
"You don't have to worry about this. The split between the 'gold coin faction' and the 'silver coin faction', the Republican Party has it, and the Democratic Party is also facing this problem. It has nothing to do with the party itself, so don't worry, the big deal is a wave of personnel replacement."

"The 'gold standard' is the foundation of this election for the Republican Party. Don't hesitate to write it into the platform. It will win you the support of many people including me."

"Wyoming and Kansas may seem dangerous, but you don't have to worry too much. I know the situation there better than you. If necessary, I will take some measures."

"As for New Mexico and Arizona, I personally think you don't have to worry about the situation there."

After Chen Jianqiu finished speaking, he turned the map on the tea table upside down and handed it to the two of them.

McKinley and Hannah were already stunned. Seeing the map turned around, they rushed over to check the information on the map bit by bit.

Chen Jianqiu's analysis seemed to open another door for them.

Combining the information they had, they verified what he said one by one in their hearts, and couldn't help but admire the Chinese in front of them even more.

Hanna is now increasingly skeptical of what Morgan and Roosevelt have said.

A businessman who doesn't care about politics?
King of the West is real, all right.

After reading the map, McKinley, who was a little excited, raised his head and looked at Chen Jianqiu:

"Mr. Chen, please join my campaign team, we cannot do without you in the western elections."

However, Chen Jianqiu smiled and shook his head.

"Your favor, I will help, who made us destined, but I will not go to the front of the stage."

McKinley didn't think about it for a while, but he knew that Chen Jianqiu must have his own considerations.

But then he added:
"Mr. Chen, after the election is successful, please enter my cabinet and take up a position. I hope you can become the first Chinese government official in American history!"

However, Chen Jianqiu shook his head again:
"Let's talk later."

Now McKinley was dumbfounded.

Don't want this, don't want that, so what do you want?

Chen Jianqiu said slowly:

"I hope that if you really succeed in entering the White House, that bill can be repealed in your hands."

(End of this chapter)