Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 59 We need both guns and pens.
"What? The mines in San Jose have been robbed too?"

"Was it done by Irish thugs?"

"FUCK! Aren't they only active in Marin and Sonoma counties? How the hell have they gotten all the way south of us?"

When daylight came, the bruised and battered guards at the mine dared to organize their men and launch a pursuit along the tracks left by the wagons.

They found nearly four hundred empty cast iron bottles in a redwood forest just a few dozen miles away.

Lawson did not allow the nearly one hundred-strong suicide squad that had accomplished all of this to return to Northern California.

Before dawn, they had already broken up into smaller groups, disbanded silently like water flowing into the sea, and headed in different directions into the vast Southern California.

Some of them will become dockworkers, some farm laborers, some small-town bartenders, and some will become wandering gunmen...

They will lie in wait in this new land, searching for new targets and gathering all sorts of information.

This laid the first and most crucial pieces in Lawson's grand plan to personally visit San Francisco and bring the entire Southern California under his control.

System upgrade complete.

[Level: Level 9]

[Daily update: 76 people]

[Maximum Constitution: 19]

[Next level requirement: 1 cubic meter of silver]

76 new assassins are added daily.

A full-strength cavalry company typically consists of only sixty or seventy men.

but.

When Lawson's attention finally fell on the next level's upgrade requirements, he couldn't help but frown.

One cubic meter of silver!
The density of silver is approximately 10490 kilograms per cubic meter.

Converted to the troy ounce commonly used in this era, that's an astonishing 337,261 ounces.

Currently, with large-scale mining at the Comstock silver mine in Nevada, silver prices are at historic lows, fluctuating between $1.15 and $1.20 per troy ounce.

Even at the lowest price, one cubic meter of silver would require a staggering sum of nearly four hundred thousand US dollars.

Four hundred thousand eagle oceans.

Even if he did have that much money, he would never be a fool to spend it.

The most cost-effective method can always be summed up in one word: grab!

So, where can you find enough silver to fill a room?

Lawson's consciousness network, like a giant search engine, began rapidly reviewing and analyzing all the intelligence sent back by the lurking assassins.

California itself does have silver mines.

For example, the Cerro Gordo silver mine in Injo County in the east was once very successful in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

But now, the rich ore layers there have long been depleted, the mining area has entered the final stage of mining, and production has declined sharply, so it is impossible for there to be such a huge inventory.

The real big prize is in the east.

Comstock Silver Mine.

In 19th-century America, this name was synonymous with gold, wealth, and overnight riches.

It is one of the largest silver veins ever discovered in human history, a true "silver mountain".

From the day it was discovered, the massive amount of silver that gushed out profoundly changed the entire economic landscape of the United States.

Interestingly, although the mine is in Nevada, California, especially San Francisco, is the true heart of this silver mountain.

Mining the deep Constock veins required an investment that was considered a pipe dream at the time: expensive steam hoists, water pumps, tunnel support technology...

The vast majority of this capital came from bankers and investors in San Francisco.

Every ounce of gold and silver mined by miners in Nevada eventually flows back to San Francisco.

It can be said that the city's dazzling prosperity was built on the silver of Comstock.

This also gave rise to a group of incredibly wealthy "silver tycoons": George Hearst, John McKay, James Fair...

These names, in the American West of 1878, were synonymous with wealth and power. Thinking this, Lawson grinned.

These mining giants, in order to stabilize the market and conduct capital operations, inevitably control a huge amount of silver reserves in San Francisco.

Their warehouse contains the materials he needs for his next upgrade.

"A two-pronged approach!"

A clear instruction formed in Lawson's mind.

He immediately mobilized all the assassins lurking in San Francisco, shifting the focus of the mission from ordinary intelligence gathering to a full investigation of the "Silver Kings".

"I need to know the location of each of their warehouses and vaults! How many guards they have! What their security measures are! What their daily order flow is like!"

At the same time, he recruited ten new assassins, setting their identities as experienced miners, and ordered them to set off immediately for Virginia City, Nevada, to infiltrate the Comstock silver mine by any means necessary.

He wants to investigate the Silver King's warehouse.

He also wanted to plant nails in the Comstock silver mine itself.

……

When Lawson's dark empire began to extend its tentacles toward that glittering silver mountain, the entire Northern California was in complete chaos, a boiling pot of bloody porridge.

In Sacramento, California Governor William Irving held a secret meeting with Robert Pinkerton, a representative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

The two sides hit it off.

The governor needs Pinkerton's strong executive power, his extensive network of informants across the West, and his freedom of action without excessive legal constraints.

Pinkerton, on the other hand, needs the official endorsement of the state government, logistical support, and the ability to mobilize local police forces!

A joint task force, funded by the state government and led by Pinkerton, began to be secretly formed.

Lawson's White Tiger Security Company remains firmly stationed in Strawberry Town.

One hundred and twenty elite troops remained stationary.

Lawson knew very well that it was far too early for them to take the stage.

Meanwhile, more and more vultures are drawn by the smell of blood.

Newspapers from San Francisco, Sacramento, and even major eastern cities sent reporters to Marin and Sonoma counties.

Get the first scoop and create the most explosive exclusive news!
Lawson stared thoughtfully at the newspapers on the table, which came from seven or eight different newspapers.

He had already witnessed the power of these thin sheets of paper firsthand.

It can shape a group of robbers he created into representatives of the entire Irish ethnic group, sparking nationwide racial conflict.

It can portray a violent act against civilians, orchestrated by him, as a "righteous iron fist," thereby gaining the support of the majority of the public.

In an era lacking electronic media, newspapers were the only vehicle for public opinion.

So, what if... I could take control of a newspaper?

As soon as the thought came to mind, Lawson couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up.

He needs not only guns, but also pens.

He could use newspapers to subtly change the stereotype that Chinese people were at the mercy of white people in white society.

This allows them to cloak their power in a guise of legitimacy or even righteousness.

If this continues, it could even shape public opinion, influence politics, and impose its will on the top-level design of the country!
But does he intend to start a completely new newspaper?

Too slow and too much effort!
Building a readership, establishing distribution channels, and cultivating credibility all take a long time.

He's not only short of money, he's also short of time!

That would be great if a well-established newspaper were willing to sell.

Lawson's message was relayed to the San Francisco assassin network.

“Investigate all the newspapers in San Francisco. Their operations, their finances, and... whether their owners have run into any trouble recently.”

"If there's no trouble, then create trouble for them!"

(End of this chapter)