Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 61 The Future Water Tsar of Northern California
Buck's sarcasm was very effective.

Thorne's muscles tensed abruptly as he slowly stood up from his chair.

“Lieutenant, I respect your rank and the Native Americans you’ve killed on the battlefield, but this is not your barbaric battlefield where you buy your merits with lives. This is our territory!”

He stepped forward, his face almost touching Buck's.

"The reason we are Pinkerton is not because we can shoot better than the army, but because we know better than anyone how to peel away the layers of an onion, layer by layer, to completely expose the enemy's hiding places, escape routes, and hopes!"

"Then, when he is at his weakest and most desperate, crush his throat in the least effortful way!"

"And you, hmph!"

Thorne sneered: "Your charging tactics are only good for getting your poor peasants a few more dollars in death benefits; they're utterly useless!"

"Without us, you wouldn't even be able to touch the enemy!"

"you!"

Buck's face turned a deep shade of liver when his sore spot was hit.

"Enough, Kellerb!"

Kane, without looking up, said, "Lieutenant Buck, I'd like to remind you that the governor's order is for you to fully cooperate with us."

"I hope you understand the meaning of the word 'cooperation'."

"If you insist on taking your people into the mountains to feed the wolves, we will not stop you."

"But you will bear all the consequences and the responsibility for disobeying orders."

When the governor was mentioned, Buck's arrogance waned somewhat.

He can disobey Pinkerton, but he cannot disobey the governor's orders.

"FUCK YOU!"

He kicked over the chair next to him, turned around angrily, and rushed out.

"I'd rather go find a whore than discuss tactics with a bunch of cowards like you!"

Silence returned to the command center.

Thorne spat dismissively: "The Federation army is a bunch of trash! Their brains are full of muscles and semen."

“Don’t underestimate him, Kellerb.”

Kane blew the crumbs off his fingernails: "This kind of fool, though incompetent, can sometimes be a useful stone for scouting the way."

To deal with these ruthless and cunning Irish bandits, we must not be too hasty.

The other party is like a group of venomous snakes hiding in the dark. As long as there is the slightest oversight in my actions, they will find an opportunity to bite me back.

Right now, they need patience.

……

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains and forests, Lawson's four gangs lay in quiet slumber.

They have no shortage of food and ammunition, and they certainly don't lack patience.

Lawson was in no hurry to confront the allied forces down the mountain.

His intention was to keep them in Northern California longer, drawing attention to this seemingly large-scale anti-bandit operation.

Once he has sorted out everything at hand, he can turn back and deal with them slowly.

Of course, we can't let them get bored.

"Let's find them something to do."

In the following days, strange things began to happen one after another.

A supply depot of the Buck militia camp was attacked by unidentified gunmen late at night.

Three people died and a box of biscuits went missing. Occasionally, on a remote mountain road, an empty wine bottle used by the gang or a fresh bullet casing would be found, attracting a large group of people to search, only to find nothing.

Lawson was like a dog walker, occasionally tossing out a bloody bone, keeping the two starving dogs down the mountain running for their lives, but they could never get a bite.

He wanted to do something truly important while people's attention was focused on this cat-and-mouse game.

Currently, the official policing systems in Marin and Sonoma counties are essentially paralyzed.

The pay is low, but the casualty rate is alarmingly high.

The locals who used to regard the police badge as an honor and a job are now avoiding it like the plague; no one is willing to sign up to be a police officer anymore.

The sheriff's offices in Strawberry and Wildfire were already in Lawson's possession.

He wanted more.

As a result, some new faces began to appear in those vacant positions.

They were mostly tall, taciturn young men who claimed to be farmers who had lost their land in the war or workers who had come from the east to make a living.

For those overwhelmed county government officials, this was like an angel sent from God.

In this way, Lawson's henchmen easily began to fully infiltrate and take over the grassroots police systems of the two counties.

Once this anti-bandit operation is over, regardless of the outcome, after Pinkerton and the militia withdraw, they will find that these two territories have been legally and violently taken over by "Lok".

Meanwhile, the wealthy, terrified, continued to flee.

The land, shops, and ranches they sold off were all snapped up by Lawson's agents at extremely low prices.

His next goal is to continue hoarding land.

This time, it's a much larger-scale hoarding.

Every day, dozens of assassins with perfect British-American identities would disperse to different counties and towns in Northern California.

Go to the land office to apply for land.

According to the Homestead Act signed by President Lincoln in 1862, any U.S. citizen aged 21 or older could claim 160 acres of unclaimed land for a fee of a few dollars.

This is simply free!
Most importantly, once the applicant has lived on the land for five years and has carried out some degree of development, the land will become his permanent personal property.

"What a country with absolutely no sense of collective property..."

Lawson stood in front of the map, staring at the newly added red areas, his smile growing wider and wider.

"Damn, I love it here!"

Just as he was reveling in the pleasure of legally and recklessly seizing federal resources, a legal loophole he had almost overlooked suddenly flashed into his mind.

The U.S. Water Act!
In this era, most of the eastern region followed the principle of "priority of land ownership" under English common law.

In this water-scarce West, most states implement a more brutal set of rules to encourage development.

"Priority right of occupancy," or more fundamentally, "riverbank rights."

Simply put, whoever owns the land along the river has the right to use the river's water resources.

If you own all the land along both banks of the river, then the portion of the river that flows within your land is equivalent to your private property!
"Starting today!"

On a whim, Lawson issued a new order: "All units claiming territory, change your claiming strategy!"

“We don’t want those square plots of land. I want you to cling to the riverbanks like leeches, following the major rivers of Northern California: the Russian River, the Napa River, the Pitt River!”

“I want the 160 acres of land you’re applying for to be a long strip of land that’s several miles long but only a few dozen yards wide!”

This is a shameless, yet legal, practice.

In this way, Lawson will gain complete control of Northern California's most important water network at minimal cost!

In the future, any newly built city that needs water, factory wastewater, or farm irrigation will have to ask Lawson for permission first!
Water is life, water is the future!
He's going to become the water czar of Northern California!

However, this ambitious plan soon encountered its first obstacle.
(End of this chapter)