"God has buried inexhaustible gold in California and guided us, his believers, to discover the gold. This gold is bestowed by God on us, his devout believers.
We are all chosen by God!
Now someone wants to monopolize this gold and push us step by step to a dead end. In the name of God, for gold! For a better life! We unite!"
In Sacramento, Liang Yao is delivering his inspiring speech.
"We unite!"
"For God! For gold!"
"For a better life!"
The thunderous applause from the audience flooded into Liang Yao's ears.
The citizens of San Francisco have suffered from Sam Brannan for a long time. Now that there is someone who can compete with Brannan and is willing to stand up and uphold justice, they are also willing to stand up and resist.
Gold was discovered in California, but the people who benefited from it in San Francisco were Brannan and his bullshit Vigilante Committee.
If it were just that, they could still tolerate it. However, what the gold diggers could not tolerate was that these vested interests not only did not restrain themselves, but instead relied on their monopoly position to raise prices, levied huge rents and miscellaneous taxes on shops, sold daily necessities and gold digging tools at outrageous prices, and completely blocked their way to wealth.
"Rousseau once said in the opening of The Contract that people are born free but are everywhere in chains. Although you appear to be free, you are actually slaves, miners of Brannan!
You used your diligent hands to dig in the mine day and night, and finally dug up such a pitiful bit of gold.
But what is the result? All Brannan needs to do is say that the price of gold panning will increase by three dollars today! The price of beer will increase by two dollars per pound! The price of bread will increase by one dollar per pound! He can easily take away the gold in your hands!
Brannan is our shackles! Let us unite and break free from this damn shackles!"
Liang Yao struck while the iron was hot and continued to fan the flames.
Looking at Liang Yao who was giving a passionate speech, Robinson felt very crazy and incredible.
Liang Yao was able to easily mobilize the emotions of these gold diggers from different places.
Robinson listened carefully to Liang Yao's speech. He used theories such as God's chosen people and abandoned people, destiny, and contract theory flexibly.
Liang Yao's speech was not only inspiring, but its content was so profound that it would probably make those experienced politicians in the East feel ashamed.
Robinson became more and more curious about Liang Yao's experience. Is this a speech that can only be given by a person who is eighteen or nineteen years old?
As a young adult, Liang Yao was ridiculously mature. He even wondered if Liang Yao was the one chosen by God.
Apart from this explanation, Robinson could not think of any other reason to explain Liang Yao's outstanding personal ability and excessive maturity.
The speech was very successful, Liang Yao successfully established the California Citizens Committee, and he was successfully elected as the chairman of the Citizens Committee as he wished.
Because Robinson had a good reputation, the participants elected Robinson as the vice chairman of the Citizens' Committee.
This made the employees of the Boston company very excited.
Robinson himself felt like sitting on pins and needles. There were a large number of ordinary members in the Citizens' Committee. Even if the Citizens' Committee failed in this struggle, these ordinary members would be able to get away with it.
As the chairman and vice chairman of the committee, Liang Yaohe had no way out and could only advance and retreat together.
Robinson was now in a difficult situation and could only reluctantly agree to serve as the vice chairman of the Citizens' Committee under the instigation of everyone.
"Please accept my congratulations, Dr. Robinson. Your election as vice chairman is well-deserved by the public."
After the meeting, Liang Yao congratulated Robinson.
California's current population structure is still dominated by white people, so those white people can accept that the Citizens' Committee has a respected white person as vice chairman.
Liang Yao was happy to see this situation. The reason why he was able to serve as the chairman was not only his extraordinary speaking ability, but also his strength. After all, except Brannan, no one in California had the strength to compete with him.
It can be said that Liang Yao is the only candidate for the chairman of the Citizens' Committee. There is no other choice except him.
Robinson's appointment as vice chairman is truly what everyone wants.
"I am not happy at all. Being the vice chairman is like roasting me on a fire. I just want to be an ordinary doctor."
"An ordinary doctor can't save California, Mr. Robinson."
Liang Yao patted Robinson on the shoulder and said to him meaningfully.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. Hello, Mr. Chairman, there is something I want to talk to you about."
A young man about the same age as Liang Yao said cautiously, holding a brand new pair of canvas pants in his hand.
"Of course, please come to my place to talk, I will treat you to authentic Chinese tea."
Liang Yao said goodbye to Robinson and invited the young man to sit in his yard.
"I am impressed by your extraordinary speaking ability and personal charm. If California becomes a state in the future, I will vote for you just like today."
The young man looked around Liang Yao's house and said, "Compared to Mr. Brannan's manor, your house is too plain, but your house is very tasteful and well designed. Unlike Brannan, his house always has only one theme, which is gold. He is afraid that the whole world doesn't know that he has gold. You are much more low-key."
"I don't think you came to me to discuss the issue of residential design." Jones was too clumsy to learn how to make tea, and Deng Ying was not around. Liang Yao felt very uncomfortable watching Jones' clumsy and unfamiliar movements of making tea, so he asked Jones to sort out the financial statements for this month, and he made tea himself.
"I'm a small shop owner in San Francisco. I have a project that I think you'll be interested in." As he said that, the young man hurriedly took the canvas pants in his hand to Liang Yao and asked him to take a look.
Liang Yao poured a cup of tea for the young man, who took it with great trepidation and drank it. As a result, the tea was too hot and his lips were burned red.
"You can't drink hot tea in a hurry. The tea is too hot. You can put it on the coffee table first and drink it when it cools down." Liang Yao reminded the young man while looking at the canvas pants.
The canvas pants were very sturdy. Liang Yao put them down, picked up the teacup, blew the hot steam off the cup, and took a sip.
"Tell me your name, and what you think."
"My name is Levi Strauss. I just immigrated to New York three years ago. Your accent makes me feel very familiar. You speak English with a very unique New York accent. Are you from New York?"
"I'm not from New York, but my English tutor is from New York, so my English has a New York accent."
Liang Yao lived in New York for seven or eight years in his previous life, so it was inevitable that he had picked up some local accent. His English accent now was different from what it was a hundred years ago. Strauss thought it was nothing surprising that his English had a peculiar New York accent.
In his later life, he often dealt with all kinds of clients. Speaking with a local accent could help him get closer to local clients and make it easier to close deals.
Levi Strauss, the founder of Levi's?
"Before immigrating to New York, were you a Jew living in the German-speaking area?"
Liang Yao looked at Strauss carefully. The California Gold Rush gave birth to the first batch of wealthy people in the western United States. Many of the companies founded by these wealthy people have been passed down for a hundred years or even longer. Levi's is one example.
However, with the example of shipping magnate Vanderbilt in front and rising stars such as oil tycoon Rockefeller and steel magnate Carnegie behind, this group of Western tycoons seemed dim and less well-known under the shining starlight of these three tycoons.
"How did you know?" Strauss was very surprised.
"Your English has a strong German accent. As a shrewd businessman like you, I think you are either Jewish or have some Jewish blood."
Like Sartre, Strauss spoke English with a very German accent, which was easy to recognize.
"Your knowledge is broader than Mr. Brannan's. It seems that joining the Citizens' Committee will be the wisest choice I have ever made in my life." Strauss exclaimed, and then he introduced his products.
"From what I have seen in the mines these days, I have found that the miners' clothes and trousers are in tatters due to long-term wear and tear, and it is very expensive to make a new set of clothes and trousers in California.
So I thought it would be nice if these miners had a set of durable clothing, so I asked a tailor to make several samples using some unsalable canvas, and the one you have in your hand is the best of them."
After saying that, Levis looked at Liang Yao anxiously and expectantly.
Strauss, who had just started his own business, was short of funds and urgently needed an investment to change his current predicament. Otherwise, he would not have come to Sacramento to listen to Liang Yao's speech after reading Liang Yao's news in the newspaper.
Strauss really hoped that the young investor would be interested in his project. He had already risked everything by coming to California to start a business, and he could not afford to lose.
"Canvas is wear-resistant and is indeed suitable for workwear. I can consider investing in it. However, although canvas workwear is wear-resistant, it may not be comfortable to wear. This is also a problem that needs to be considered in the future. If you want your product to sell well, your product must be improved and updated to meet user needs, so that it will not be abandoned by the market."
"You are so far-sighted. To be honest, before I came to you with trepidation, I also looked for Mr. Brannan. Unfortunately, he was only interested in gold mining tools and highly profitable industries such as brothels, casinos and bars. He had no intention of reducing my rent." Seeing that Liang Yao affirmed his idea, Strauss was extremely happy.
Liang Yao sighed softly: "A place with only brothels, casinos and bars will have no future. Gold is just an opportunity given by God to California, not the future of California. Only industry is the future of California."
Strauss agreed with Liang Yao's point of view very much. He was very excited, as if he had found a soulmate with whom he shared the same language.
"You are renting Brannan's shop now?"
"Yes sir, it's just that the rent that Brannan charges is too expensive. Although my grocery store business is doing well, I have to purchase goods from Mr. Brannan, plus the high rent, and I have almost no funds left to open new sales channels.
I once tried to find a merchant ship docked at the shore myself and buy goods directly from the ship owner. This would be much cheaper, but I paid a price for it. When Brannan found out about this, the people from the Security Committee gave me a severe beating and warned me that if they found me again, they would confiscate my shop.
Brannan controlled everything in San Francisco, which made us feel very desperate. But fortunately, God sent you to California to save us. "Strauss said with relief.
"How are other businesses in San Francisco doing?" Liang Yao asked.
"I am already one of the better-off store owners. I think you can guess what the other store owners are doing." Strauss shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.
Even though Strauss had such a prosperous business, he still had a hard time making ends meet. It goes without saying what the situation was like for those shop owners with average business.
"There were no banks in California, and some store owners had to borrow money from Brannan to make ends meet," Strauss added.
"Brannan has gone too far. I deeply sympathize with your situation. If you are willing, you can work here and continue your project. Your project has great potential. I am very optimistic about it and am willing to lend a helping hand.
I have also purchased some land in San Francisco, where I will build a new commercial street where the rent will be very reasonable and some necessary public services will be provided.
When you return to San Francisco, tell those poor shop owners the news that San Francisco will usher in a new era just like Sacramento. Let us work together to build a beautiful new California! Build our prosperous new home!"
Historically, Strauss did not come to California so early, so the plot needs to be advanced. But rest assured, readers, this book will take a fair attitude towards historical facts, and will not make random statements.