Undercurrents

Senator Bloom muttered, looking at the document in his hand.

As soon as he spoke, the Senator sitting to his left angrily retorted, "Damn it, I've said it before, this matter would escalate, and it's still not completely resolved!"

"Enough, your one-size-fits-all plan is better left undone! Damn it, if we followed your method, the United States would be in chaos!" The Senator diagonally opposite him was even more furious.

There was nothing they could do; the plan this guy proposed earlier was to arrest the founders of the Veteran Club in the West and destroy the Veteran Club. If they really did that, the veterans in the West would definitely start a rebellion. Even if their numbers were small, a few hundred people could still have a huge impact on the United States.

They couldn't tolerate even a few dozen people with guns blocking their government's entrance, waiting to kill.

"Then what do you suggest? Just leave it as is? And then the entire United States will have to increase soldiers' benefits? Damn it, that's a huge sum of money, and no one will agree!"

The meeting was in an uproar, mainly because the United States Government didn't want to spend money but also didn't want to cause a rebellion or public outcry. In reality, they would rather have a rebellion in the United States than spend money, because that money was genuinely theirs, and if there was a rebellion, it wasn't them who would die. If a rebellion did happen, sending troops to suppress it would bring in more money, so the meeting gradually started to lean towards ignoring the issue.

This is the true nature of the United States.

"Enough!" Senator Bloom roared, calming the scene.

At this moment, another Senator, who had not spoken at all, finally spoke.

"I do have a solution."

"Oh? Mr. McKinley, what is your brilliant idea?"

Senator Bloom had a completely different attitude towards him, mainly because of his surname, McKinley. He was a member of the current United States President's family.

If anyone among these seven people was considering the United States itself, it was definitely him. Of course, he still belonged to the capitalist class, and his own position would certainly be prioritized.

Mr. McKinley, who was only thirty years old, calmly said, "Although this incident with the Veteran Club in the West is a problem, it is clearly a problem that can be exploited.

Although the Anti-Pinkerton Detective Act has been issued, Pinkerton Detectives are still a big problem in the Western regions, especially since the number of Pinkerton Detectives nationwide still remains around 10,000, which is still a real threat to us.

So, why not link these two threats together and solve them simultaneously? The government will provide funds to contact Pinkerton Detectives in a personal capacity, instructing them to investigate and threaten the Veteran Club, sending people to provoke conflicts between them, preferably leading to an exchange of fire. This would eliminate the Veteran Club while transferring the veterans' hostility to the Pinkerton Detectives, giving the government an excuse to issue further decrees against Pinkerton Detectives, thereby resolving both threats at once."

In addition, this could also boost the political achievements of the current United States President, William McKinley, and at the same time use some tactics to win over the veterans gathered by the Veteran Club, laying a solid foundation for his next re-election.

Of course, the latter two gains didn't need to be mentioned; only the former needed to be stated.

It must be said, this was a very clever strategy, killing two birds with one stone, and simultaneously eliminating two unstable factors.

Senator Bloom was overjoyed. He stood up and loudly said, "Good, Mr. McKinley, this is an excellent idea! Let's do it this way!

Since this idea was proposed by you, how about leaving it to you to implement?"

Senator Bloom clearly knew who this matter needed to be handed to. For such a guaranteed successful scheme, this was a real political achievement. Since the strategy was proposed by Mr. McKinley, of course, this achievement should be handed to the McKinley family.

"Of course, Mr. Bloom," Mr. McKinley nodded with pleasure.

The meeting concluded successfully, and Senator Bloom dismissed everyone in an orderly fashion.

However, as soon as he stepped out the door, a American man in his fifties, with a flattering smile, approached him.

"Mr. Bloom, Mr. Bloom, may I please see Mr. Roosevelt? You know, New Hanover is having some issues..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Senator Bloom pushed him away.

"Sorry, I don't think Mr. Roosevelt has anything to discuss with you!"

Subsequently, Mr. Bloom didn't even spare him a glance, quickly leaving the scene amidst the flattery of others.

The Senator from New Hanover was left alone, scratching his head with an awkward smile, then slinking away from the venue.

There was nothing they could do; their statuses were unequal. People from the West like them were completely dispensable in the eyes of these Easterners.

Not to mention after the American Civil War, even before the American Civil War, they had no status here.

The main reason they were still kept around was that the Congress was currently controlled by the Republican radicals. These radicals looked down on the South and had formulated very strict policies to restrict Southern development, which led to many capitalists being unwilling to enter the South during this period, or rather, to enter Lemoyne and New Hanover. This is why these clowns kept jumping around. (Lemoyne belonged to the South during the American Civil War, because the Brucesville family within it was a typical old-era family. The United States Republican radicals' targeting of the South was real, to retaliate against the South's secession, which also led to the Southern regions consistently supporting the Democratic Party in general elections afterward, until 1964).

Once the Eastern capital and families decide to scheme against the South, they will be relegated to obscurity.

All power, all status, will become spoils of war for others.

So, although he was also a Senator, the Senator from New Hanover merely held that title. It didn't mean he could sit at the table and speak.

As for the Roosevelt family they discussed, this was a truly old American family, a century-old establishment. They were the real power holders; a hundred years of operation had already made their family's power astonishing.

They were far more powerful than suddenly rising businessmen like JP Morgan; these were the true old aristocrats who controlled both politics and business!

And these old families, with their astonishing power and channels, are the true controllers of the United States.

Unfortunately, the current controllers are still busy carving up the profits from the East, busy chasing down old imperialists like Spain, plundering their wealth and interests, while the West is like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, a shame to discard—so it can only be ignored.

It turned out that the American West, lacking population, industry, order, and wealth, was indeed a chicken bone that no one bothered to pick clean.

Apart from various resource magnates, no one else would pay attention to the West. For instance, the Morgan Consortium built a railway there, which was a complete loss; the annual revenue from train passengers was less than the maintenance costs. Moreover, various gangs, big and small, would rob trains every three to five days. It was a blessing if the train wasn't damaged, but if it was blown up, they would lose everything.

This also led to the American West becoming a wild, untamed land in the eyes of Easterners, and no one was willing to go there.

Even Senator McKinley, after receiving the task, did not choose to go to the American West himself to solve the problem, but instead sent someone to find the Pinkerton Detective.

An open carriage trotted slowly on the asphalt roads of Washington D.C.

The smoothness of the asphalt road mixed with the chemical smell emanating from the impure asphalt, and even that chemical smell, harmful to the body, became a symbol of fashion and modernization.

The horses ran a bit slowly, as they had to avoid the slowly moving cars on the side of the road.

Although the internal combustion engines used in cars at the time were still very poor, often breaking down and unsuited for most roads, Americans, who believed that European air was sweet, still loved the new products developed in Europe.

This was a symbol of fashion and a manifestation of wealth. Most importantly, it gave them a boost in status, as if driving the same cars as Europeans would make them like Europeans.

Although it was still an early era, the concept of colonization had already developed.

In reality, Europeans didn't drive these cars much because they were impractical and very expensive.

However, precisely because of their expense, the carriages running on the road dared not make any contact with these ostentatious cars.

Mr. Ross sat in the back of the carriage, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the surrounding cars.

He greatly admired such symbols of civilization; he liked everything about the new era and was very open to change. But this also meant he disliked everything from the old era, especially the cowboys and gangs of the American West.

Even if the East was no less dirty than the West, and the filth hidden in the light was far fouler than the grime exposed in the darkness, this still did not change his inner thoughts.

At the very least, the East had a superficial stability; at the very least, ordinary people in the East didn't have to worry about losing their lives at any moment, which, to him, was a sign of progress.

Mr. Ross liked this sense of order.

Compared to him, Mr. Milton, sitting on the other side of the carriage, did not have as many thoughts.

Mr. Milton's face was somewhat grim. Ever since Blackwater fell immediately after Van der Linde pulled his people away, he had returned to the East with Mr. Ross, hoping to find a way through the government to give the Pinkerton Detective a lifeline.

But hope was slim. The truly high-ranking officials simply wouldn't receive them, and the low-ranking officials who did receive them couldn't make decisions, only constantly making excuses.

This feeling was very unpleasant. His mood now was exactly like Rains Fall and Flying Eagle when they stood outside the Saint Denis Senate, feeling as if the road ahead had completely plunged into darkness.

He had even prepared to truly lead his gunmen, who couldn't afford food without the Pinkerton, to join Van der Linde, but unexpectedly, an invitation letter was delivered to him, and it was from a Senator.

It was from the McKinley family, which made a glimmer of hope rise in his heart again.

The carriage trotted slowly through the streets of Washington; the prosperity of the capital far surpassed that of the West. Even Saint Denis was incomparable to the Washington area.

In Saint Denis, a three-story building was considered tall, but here, it was completely unremarkable. The skyscrapers of later generations already stood above Washington in this era.

People came and went on both sides of the street, an endless stream. Their clothing, though not luxurious, was always presentable. It was clear that life was quite good.

Of course, this was because they were all city employees; true lower-class people were not allowed into the city because their attire was undignified and they could only stay in the slums set up on the outskirts of Washington.

If they wanted to come over, they either had to rent clothes from the black market or force their way in.

The former was generally the choice of poor people looking for work; they would spend a little money to rent an outfit so that city patrol officers wouldn't drive them away, and they could enter some companies to try and apply for jobs.

The latter would be taken away by officers; if they were lucky, they would be detained for two days and fined; if they were unlucky, they would be beaten and thrown back into the slums, as long as no bones were broken, it wasn't a big deal.

Washington was very prosperous, but for some reason, Mr. Milton always felt that something was missing there. Something that Dutch's controlled territory had.

This thing was not important for the development of the city, but it was extremely important for individuals.

Was it true care? Or the warmth of the city?

Mr. Milton didn't know, but he only knew that if he retired later, he would definitely choose to settle in Valentine or Saint Denis, not this outwardly prosperous but inwardly dirty Washington.

Only then, he wondered how Dutch Van der Linde would mock him.

Thinking of this, Mr. Milton chuckled.

"Why are you so happy, Mr. Milton?" Mr. Ross turned his head and asked curiously.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about my retirement. Have you thought about your retirement, Mr. Ross? Do you want to live in the East or the West? Or abroad?" Mr. Milton leaned on his cane; even in the carriage, the cane never left his hand.

"Retirement? Ah, that's a distant topic. I wonder if people like us can truly live to retirement. But if I really do retire, I think I'll settle in the West, whether it's Blackwater or the current Valentine.

Although the civilization of the new era is dazzling and brilliant, I think people like me are only suited to admire it from afar.

We've spent half our lives in the West, Mr. Milton. I think I might not be able to abandon this... leisurely small-town life," Mr. Ross said with emotion.

He liked civilization and order very much, but he was more accustomed to the West, where he had lived for half his life.

"Hahaha, perhaps we will have a chance, Mr. Ross. Because Dutch Van der Linde has already done everything for us; now we just need to find an opportunity to ensure our retirement. Hahaha... Dutch Van der Linde. I can hardly imagine the scene when I meet him next time." Mr. Milton laughed heartily, but as he laughed, a hint of sadness crept in.

Damn it, in less than a year, the positions of the two sides had completely reversed! He now felt as if he was living in a dream!

"Ah, I hope so, Mr. Milton. If we continue to uphold the perseverance and principles you demand, we should be able to survive until retirement. Hahaha."

Mr. Ross laughed meaningfully.

Of course, he was not referring to Mr. Milton's insistence on not using force against Van der Linde, but rather to the handling of government affairs.

The Pinkerton Detective had always been a lackey of the upper class. Before Mr. Milton took complete control, the Pinkerton Detective did everything without a bottom line: suppressing workers, suppressing veterans, and even bloody conflicts—these were the daily tasks of the Pinkerton Detective.

But all the leaders of the Pinkerton Detective who spearheaded these actions came to no good end; they were used as pawns and then discarded as scapegoats.

Only after Mr. Milton gained complete control did his established principles require the Pinkerton Detective to withdraw their identity as enforcers for the upper class and begin to gang up on Western gangs like bounty hunters, in pursuit of another way out.

This is also why Mr. Ross said what he did. They would only avoid being scapegoated if they refrained from doing the dirty work assigned by the government.

Only then could they retire safely.

As for the issue of using force to suppress gangs, as mentioned before, only the Van der Linde Gang was special; gangs like the O'Driscoll Gang and the Skinners Brothers Gang simply had no chance.

And now that Mr. Van der Linde had changed professions, Mr. Ross naturally would no longer discuss Mr. Milton using the Van der Linde Gang as a topic.

In fact, he now also agreed with Mr. Milton's philosophy, only having some disagreements initially regarding the handling of the Van der Linde Gang.

Mr. Ross insisted that the Van der Linde Gang was no different from other gangs and should be given no quarter, but instead be completely eradicated.

However, Mr. Milton insisted that the people within the Van der Linde Gang still had a chance at redemption, and that only by killing Dutch Van der Linde could the others return to the right path.

Of course, this included a certain idea of subduing the enemy without fighting, but overall, there was a good intention.