America 1881: Legend of the West

"Mr. Morgan! What kind of wind brings you here?"

Department of Justice Building, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.

Morgan walked in from the gate wearing a coat.

Behind him followed several men also wearing coats, looking like they were in charge of questioning.

Tom Atkins, the Director of Judicial Statistics who happened to be walking by the door with the documents, saw him and said hello to him.

This person worked in a Wall Street law firm before working in the Department of Justice, so he was very familiar with Morgan.

But Morgan rarely appeared in Washington unless something big happened.

"Where is Knox?" Morgan asked expressionlessly.

He directly omitted the title "minister" and called him by his first name, showing anger that was visible to the naked eye.

"He's dealing with some things upstairs. What's wrong? Do you have anything to do with him?" Atkins stood in front of Morgan, showing no intention of moving.

Mr. Director narrowed his eyes.

This is the Ministry of Justice building, a sacred and solemn place. No matter how awesome you are at Morgan, you are still on Wall Street, and no one will buy your fault here.

Morgan realized his abruptness, but he was not going to give in.

The banker gathered his clothes:

"I have something to do with Mr. Knox, and I hope he can have an interview because of our long-term acquaintance," Morgan said.

What he said about "many years of acquaintance" was certainly not groundless.

However, familiarity is quite familiar, and it is difficult to have a good relationship.

Knox worked for both him and Rockefeller, handling legal matters.

However, due to differences in concepts, he was always excluded from the core group. It was not until he gave up business and entered politics that his career improved.

Roosevelt also took note of this when he appointed Knox as attorney general.

"Then please wait here for a while, and I'll ask someone to bring you a message."

The director turned around and walked into the elevator without giving the bank tycoon any face.

Morgan and his entourage waited in the lobby on the first floor for about ten minutes.

The banker's expression was as cold and bottomless as he was in front of the camera.

"Wow!"

The elevator door was opened.

Morgan and his entourage looked away.

An employee of the Ministry of Justice came out of the elevator.

Besides him, there was an old acquaintance of Morgan in the elevator.

Chen Jianqiu.

He was also carrying a box in his hand.

"Mr. Morgan, the minister is waiting for you in his office."

The clerk walked up to Morgan and said.

But Morgan ignored the government employee, walked to the elevator, and walked towards Chen Jianqiu who just raised his head.

Chen Jianqiu didn't expect to meet this old guy here.

He actually came to deliver something to keep Northern Securities awake, and by the way, he had an interview with Roosevelt about the Panama Canal.

Chen Jianqiu looked at Morgan's unhappy look and thought about what to say.

Unexpectedly, Morgan spoke first:

"I thought only Northern Securities was sued, but I didn't expect that the Gunpowder Association would not escape this fate."

He glanced at the box in Chen Jianqiu's hand, leaned to his ear, and whispered:

"I'm afraid this guy can't be spent with money."

Chen Jianqiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately sighed:

"Yes, the federal government is planning to kill the donkey."

"You and Roosevelt have such a good relationship that you are not immune. This guy is so cruel!" Morgan lamented. "I thought it was a good move when you guaranteed him to be the vice president."

"Yes, God's calculation is not as good as that of man. Who would have thought that President McKinley would be gone like this!"

Chen Jianqiu's voice deepened and seemed a little "sad".

"He is a great president. Although there are some conflicts between us, this does not prevent him from becoming one of the greatest American presidents in my mind."

"He led America to prosperity and strength! I still vaguely remember the scene when he and Congressman Hanna came to my home before the election."

The more Chen Jianqiu talked, the more "sad" he became, almost crying, and other people in the elevator also looked at him sideways.

Morgan was also in a daze for a moment.

It is said that there is discord between McKinley and Chen Jianqiu. Who would have thought that there is such a "hero cherishes the hero" relationship between them?

It seems that McKinley is still too short-tempered.

He patted Chen Jianqiu on the shoulder, and then entered the elevator with his entourage.

Chen Jianqiu looked at the elevator behind him and closed the door, watching Morgan and the others go up.

To be honest, regarding McKinley's death, he felt a bit like a cat crying over a mouse.

Chen Jianqiu sometimes often wonders whether he would have taken the gamble if the stubborn president had lived for another year or two.

Then maybe California will become a Chinese autonomous state by then.

But there is no if in this matter.

Then let these guys who have been encouraging the former president to attack him behind the scenes get a taste of the iron fist of antitrust.

Morgan and his entourage went up to the third floor.

The elevator driver opened the door for them.

There were several people from the Ministry of Justice standing at the door of the elevator. In addition to them, there were four or five Secret Service agents.

The faces of these people were far from friendly.

Morgan frowned.

After McKinley was assassinated, the newly elected President Roosevelt changed the Secret Service personnel responsible for White House security from top to bottom.

Like the FBI, they employ a large number of former Border Detective Agency personnel.

Since these Secret Service agents have appeared, it means that the president is also here.

It's just right. If you look for one, you're looking for it. If you put two together, it's just right.

"Mr. Morgan, Secretary Knox is waiting for you in the office, but only you can go in."

The leading agent looked impartial and selfless and made a "please" gesture.

Morgan waved to the entourage behind him, straightened his clothes, and followed the agent into the corridor.

The minister's office is at the end of the corridor.

The two people came to the office door.

The agent opened the door.

Morgan walked into the office and found Knox and Roosevelt standing in front of the big desk, discussing something in a low voice.

The banker glanced around the office.

At a glance, he saw several piles of documents on the table.

His eyes fell on the document on the top.

The paper and layout used in that document were all used internally by Northern Documents.

These are internal documents.

Morgan's heart suddenly went cold.

Knox caught Morgan's gaze and turned over the document on top.

"Mr. Morgan, why are you here today?"

he asked, his tone and phrasing very official.

"Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, I believe you should understand the purpose of my coming today."

Not knowing the importance and authenticity of those documents, Morgan kicked the ball out first to see the opponent's attitude.

"I don't understand, Mr. Morgan, you might as well be more straightforward. We are willing to communicate with every law-abiding American citizen."

Knox kicked the ball back, his words still laced with sting.

Morgan was a little dissatisfied, but he had no choice but to continue:

"Mr. Minister, not long ago, you suddenly announced in New York that you would sue Northern Securities Company."

"Yes, there is indeed such a thing." Knox nodded.

"I personally think this is very disrespectful to me personally, to Northern Securities, and to my partners." Morgan looked directly into Knox's eyes and said.

"Oh? Really? Do you mean that I should communicate with you in advance?" Knox asked.

"I think that should be the case at least." Morgan raised his chin slightly, "Your remarks caused panic in the market. Countless people who held Northern Securities stocks sold their stocks crazily. It took a lot of effort on my part to stabilize the situation. .”

"This almost caused another financial market disaster," Morgan added.

"So, you are here to punish me today, right?"

Roosevelt, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

He adjusted his round glasses.

"I asked Knox to do this. Do you think we would do this if we didn't have sufficient reasons and evidence?"

"Mr. President, that's not what I meant." Morgan decided to take a step back. "The U.S. financial market is huge, but at the same time it is fragile. It has laid the foundation for the United States to become a world power. We should protect it."

"Then I'm very grateful to you for telling me this." Roosevelt's expression was amusing. "A company's stock fluctuations can make the entire market collapse. This is really a 'reassuring' thing."

Morgan felt that he had been involved, so he stopped worrying about stocks and opened up another angle:

"We have made great contributions to the stability of the railway market, and I am very supportive of the federal government. Such actions by the government will chill the market and put everyone in danger."

"Mr. Morgan, we have never forgotten your contribution to the country, but this cannot be a shield for Northern Securities to affect the market balance." Roosevelt said.

"If my people make a mistake, you can tell me and we can discuss corrections and solutions when we go back."

Morgan took another step back, lowering his stance.

However, Roosevelt shook his head and said firmly:

"It's impossible, Mr. Morgan. What we are talking about with you is not about simple right or wrong, but about the future of the United States. There is no room for negotiation."

"So, Northern Securities must be split up!"

This sentence is very resounding.

Morgan didn't speak, but turned and walked out of the office.

There was a complete break between him and the federal government.

.