America 1881: Legend of the West

The situation outside is turbulent, but the Chinese district of Fort Stockton, located at the center of the whirlpool, is calm.

Due to the relatively complete isolation measures and rodent eradication operations, the plague did not spread in the settlements.

In addition to the earliest case, there are three more infected people.

Sadly, only one of them survived.

In the days before antibiotics, plague had a very high mortality rate.

The bodies of the two deceased were also cremated.

Lin Sanshan took the clan members to see the deceased off.

How can I say that I have no clothes? I share the same robe with my son. When I enter this town, we are all members of the same clan. No matter where we come from, we are dependent on each other.

Among the Chinese at Fort Stockton, there happened to be a traveling monk.

The sound of chanting resounds on the plains of Texas, and together with the blazing flames, it rescues the souls of those who have died in a foreign land.

In addition to Lin Sanshan and the Chinese in the settlement, there was also a reporter from the New York World to see the deceased off.

This reporter was previously stationed in Roswell and was mainly responsible for introducing the life and customs of the Chinese people in the southwest frontier to the outside world.

He came to Fort Stockton a year ago and began to record the lives of these Chinese ranchers.

"I really didn't expect you to resolve this matter so quickly. I was worried that it would spread." The reporter expressed his emotion to Lin Sanshan next to him.

"This is an unfortunate thing. Three of our compatriots died." Lin Sanshan whispered, "Our nation has always been in trouble, but we have never been defeated."

While everyone was still saying goodbye to the deceased, a Chinese young man suddenly ran up, looking a little panicked.

"Captain, captain, it's terrible!" The young man stopped in front of Lin Sanshan and said out of breath.

Because Lin Sanshan had served as the captain of the Longxiang Group before, the people below still used to call him captain.

"Why are you panicking?" Lin Sanshan put his hands behind his back and frowned, "The sky won't fall. If you have anything to say, tell me slowly."

"A large number of armed men appeared in our south, north, and west directions, and they seemed to be planning to surround this place." The young man took a deep breath and said.

Lin Sanshan did not ask about the east side, because the east side is where white people live.

"Take me to see it quickly!"

The former captain of the Longxiang group led the young man and several others to climb up a simple iron tower in the center of the settlement and looked in several directions.

The soldiers who were setting up camp were vaguely visible, and the rising dust shrouded the camp in haze.

"It's the National Guard." Lin Sanshan put down his binoculars with a solemn expression.

He turned his head and gave an order to the young man behind him: "Send a telegram to Roswell and tell them what happened here."

However, the telegram sent received no response.

"Our telegraph line seems to have been cut off." The telegraph operator stood up and gave the table a hard hammer.

"Dongsheng, pick a fast horse and see if you can get the news out." Lin Sanshan said to the telegraph operator.

However, not long after, the telegraph operator named Dongsheng came back.

"No, everyone is surrounded outside and there is no way to get out." Dongsheng took a sip of water and said.

"Are they making things difficult for you?" Lin Sanshan hurriedly looked at Dongsheng to make sure he was not injured.

Dongsheng shook his head: "I'm not embarrassed, but when I asked them why they wanted to surround us, their leader also kept silent. He just said that he had received an order from above and no one was allowed to leave!"

Cut off all contact with the outside world and surround the place from several directions. What on earth are these people going to do?

Lin Sanshan did not immediately tell the Chinese people below about the news.

In order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, he asked some people to return to his pasture, so the number of Chinese in the settlement is not the largest now, and there is definitely no gathering now.

Lin Sanshan knew that no matter what, he had to get in touch with Roswell.

He walked out of the house and glanced at the simple iron tower in the center of the settlement.

"Dongsheng, let's try the wireless telegraph machine." He said to the telegraph operator.

Dongsheng also glanced at the iron tower and hesitated:

"But captain, we only successfully received the signal once two months ago. If we just receive it, it's okay. If we want to send it, we also need to generate electricity, but we don't have much fuel anymore."

Lin Sanshan's reply was very firm:

"We must give it a try! There is no way we can cope with the current situation on our own."

He asked Dongsheng to turn on the receiver and at the same time asked people to move oil to prepare for power generation.

The roar of generators rang out in the settlement.

However, before the two men could send the message, the receiver had picked up directional waves from Roswell.

After Tesla tinkered with radio, Chen Jianqiu tried it in Juarez and Fort Stockton.

Originally, the wireless telegraph machine was still being debugged, but unexpectedly it would come in handy soon.

The big tower in Roswell sends directional radio waves to Fort Stockton every ten minutes, and the content is very simple:

The state government has taken action, and the militia will besiege the city in the name of fighting the epidemic. A reply was received.

Lin Sanshan was overjoyed and asked telegraph operator Dongsheng to reply quickly:

The enemy has arrived, please give instructions.

After a while, news from Roswell came:

Be fully armed, protect yourself, stay in touch, and if the situation changes, inform us immediately and reinforcements will arrive soon.

This telegram was a reassurance for Lin Sanshan.

Whether the person who replied was Chen Jianqiu or Li Sifu, as long as they agreed to send troops, there would basically be no problem.

"Those who remain in the settlements, please check their weapons and inventory. From now on, enter a wartime state and be ready to fight at any time!" Lin Sanshan issued the order.

On the Texas National Guard side, Harrison was setting up his camp.

To be honest, it's been a long time since he took the National Guard out for a walk.

When the army was sent to Cuba, he signed up, but for some reason he was kept in the country as a reserve.

He intended to follow the strategy given to him by the governor:

Surround them, intimidate them while cutting off their supplies, and wait for the Chinese to come to their door.

However, Lin Sanshan, who was confident in his mind, was not in a hurry.

There is well water in the settlement as a water source. Because they have not dealt with the white people next door for a long time, they have accumulated a large amount of supplies, including food and ammunition.

The Chinese who came here had all fought in Roswell or Oklahoma. They had rich fighting experience and were very united.

The National Guard is not in a hurry, and neither are the Chinese.

However, someone is anxious.

A week later, in the same auditorium at the entrance of the town, the fighting townspeople began to question the mayor.

"Mr. Mayor, why haven't we taken action yet?" The white-bearded old man whose son died before stared at the mayor.

The mayor was originally delivering his foal at home, but he was dragged over. He was already feeling very unhappy.

"Why are you asking me about this? Ask yourself to the commander of the National Guard, Major Harrison!" he replied lazily.

The mayor's attitude angered some of the townspeople below.

They booed disapprovingly.

Even more extreme was the old man with a white beard. He continued to question the mayor:

"Let me ask you, do you still want to avenge my son? If we didn't have the strength before, but now the National Guard has surrounded them, why haven't we taken action?"

"Yes, Mr. Mayor, will our family's revenge be avenged?" Someone followed the old man.

The mayor was too lazy to talk to the old man and these people.

In his opinion, these people are now possessed by a demon, and it would be a bit embarrassing to announce that they are acquainted with them.

"I still say the same thing. If any of you have the ability and courage to go and settle accounts with those Chinese, I won't stop you." After he said that, he turned around and left.

Unexpectedly, the old man with the white beard burst into tears and looked at the ceiling with gritted teeth: "Son, dad must avenge you!"

Many people were moved by it, but the mayor was not included among them:

"Yes, yes, you'd better bring a few people to sneak attack at night, and then set fire to the house opposite. The Chinese are afraid to fight back due to the pressure of the National Guard. Then I am here to wish you victory!"

The mayor said in a sinister tone. He put on his hat and walked out of the auditorium door.

His original intention was to ridicule these people who were obsessed with revenge.

Unexpectedly, after he left, the old man with the white beard was silent for a while, then turned his head and said to the people around him:

"The mayor is right. If you keep waiting, you will never wait for the day when others help you. Let's do it ourselves!"