Return to New York

At the same time, China's Minister to the United Kingdom and plenipotentiary representative to the League of Nations Council, Shih Zhao-chi, was en route to attend a League of Nations meeting when he was intercepted and brutally beaten by patriotic Chinese students and overseas compatriots—almost to death.

Protests against the plan to place Jinzhou under international trusteeship erupted all over China. Yet the Nationalist Government, along with General Zhang Xueliang, continued to pursue a policy of non-resistance. Japan, which had previously halted its assault on Jinzhou due to wariness of combined Anglo-American-French-Italian pressure, was overjoyed upon learning of China's weak response, and began its full-scale advance without restraint.

(The narrative purposefully avoids discussing what later became of certain patriotic youth leaders—better not to mention it!)

The Jinzhou garrison barely resisted before withdrawing. From Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan, a stretch of over 400 li of land that might still have been salvaged was handed over to the Japanese in an instant. Over a million people fell into enemy hands, humiliated and subjugated.

Even Christmas was uneasy for Neil. His family, thousands of miles away in America, was utterly baffled by the news from a foreign land. They didn't even know where "Manchuria" or "Jinzhou" was. Although they had heard of Japan, they didn't understand or particularly dislike it.

What puzzled Neil even more was this: due to the anti-Chinese propaganda rampant in the U.S., the American public often harbored more animosity toward Chinese people than toward the Japanese.

All Neil could do was sigh...

The new year came and went in a daze. Neil remained in low spirits, and his family thought it was because he was anxious about marriage, perhaps feeling pressured. After some reflection, they decided such matters were best left to Neil himself—even Aunt Gingie stopped bringing it up.

Oh, and his old friend Frederick had come back from Chicago to Brooklyn for the holiday. Naturally, he came to see Neil with something in mind.

Over the past year, Frederick had trained several experienced hands and now wanted to tap into the vast New York market. After all, New York was part of the Great Lakes region too—its booming industry and commerce meant countless potential clients needing hotel services.

Moreover, word had spread in Chicago that Roosevelt would soon repeal Prohibition. That was excellent news for Frederick, who also sold alcohol on the side. However, the new environment meant he could no longer rely on buying fake liquor from the mob and exchanging benefits to ensure smooth hotel operations—he would need a different approach.

More importantly, Frederick had grand ambitions. Running hotels inevitably involved dealings with shady characters, but he had no intention of being entangled with the underworld forever. He wanted to expand and elevate his family's business.

Spending his whole life running hotels? That didn't sound very fulfilling. At most, people would just call him "the hotel guy's son," hardly a prestigious title.

He wanted to be a tycoon—a figure in high society. Only then, in America's money-worshipping culture, could he be surrounded by praise, flattery, camera flashes, and bouquets.

He might even enter politics, wash himself clean, and become a respected public figure one day—who knows!

Frederick and Neil had kept in touch by phone during Neil's time in New York, so they both knew what the other was up to. Frederick was well aware of the behind-the-scenes political maneuvers Neil had conducted for Wilkie.

When the day came that the Republicans took control of New York City, Frederick planned to make his move. For now, he hoped Neil could introduce him to Fiorello. Since Neil believed this man could become mayor, Frederick didn't mind showing up on his campaign donor list as a supporter.

He'd start with a donation of several tens of thousands of dollars—build goodwill early, making future connections easier.

Neil had no reason to refuse. Bringing his buddy into Wilkie's political circle could only help. Wilkie was going to be very busy in the future. He'd have to hand off his tax consultancy and even his supermarket—none of that would matter compared to the presidency.

Someone would need to step in and take over operations or help with management. Better to use one of their own. Wilkie didn't yet have a solid team; finding capable people was a top priority.

After a few more days at home, visiting relatives and seeing off the holidays, the two friends boarded a train and left Brooklyn for New York.

New York, of course, was still the same. The festive atmosphere of Christmas and New Year had faded, and the city of money and desire had returned to its daily grind. Neil hadn't told Wilkie in advance about his return, so Moses didn't come to the station to pick them up.

Carrying their modest luggage, the two walked out of the station, getting a firsthand look at New York's current state. Frederick had planned to launch operations immediately, but Neil talked him out of it. Ostensibly, it was better to wait until Fiorello was elected—easier to deal with the legal side of things.

But in reality, Neil was waiting for Roosevelt to take office. Only then would it be truly safe to open up shop in New York, especially given how much worse things had become lately due to U.S.-Japan tensions over interests in China.

Don't underestimate Manchuria—it was one of the world's top soybean exporters at the time. General Zhang Zuolin had literally traded soybeans for warships and funded an army of hundreds of thousands with soybean revenue. Manchuria's soybean exports were worth over ten million silver dollars annually—a fat piece of meat indeed.

Previously, both Japanese and American businesses controlled soybean exports from the region. But now that Japan had fully occupied Manchuria, American firms were being squeezed out. While Japan still feared the Western powers to some extent, pushing out American businesses was seen as fair commercial competition—something Washington couldn't do much about.

The already fragile New York stock market took another hit from this news. Investors held a pessimistic outlook on U.S. foreign trade, anticipating a collapse in commerce with Japan. As a result, the stock market plunged again after New Year's, hitting rock bottom.

What they didn't realize was that despite seizing Manchuria's coal, steel, and industrial resources, Japan's domestic industry was still too weak to fully utilize them.

Japan had to use its precious foreign reserves to buy American goods—not less, but more. Why? Because it was frantically expanding its military, pouring funds into rearmament. It desperately needed American copper, aluminum, oil, machinery, and other materials.

Far from declining, U.S. exports would likely begin to rise gradually...

Which ended up handing Roosevelt an unexpected gift...