Chapter 2804 Free Corps (Ⅱ)

While eulogizing freedom, it does not prevent Mr. Patrick Henry from keeping slaves and forcing them to work hard in the cotton fields with leather whips, so that the black slaves really can't bear this grace, and they smashed the " Handcuffs and fetters generously gifted to them by the "Leader of Liberty", they fled the estate at the risk of their lives.

What is even more embarrassing is that even in the home of George Vaser, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in Alfheim, who is known for his generous treatment of slaves, several black slaves were incited by Earl Winthrop's "Emancipation Proclamation" , escaped from Mount Vernon overnight, and came to Port Prince after going through twists and turns, and joined the command of his master's deadly enemy.

These "well-born" black slaves were highly valued by Earl Winthrop and his staff. They used them as "active billboards" to publicize them, and they slapped Jefferson, Henry and Vassar in the face. Wait for the leaders of the independent revolution to lose face.

This incident has also aroused heated discussions in the public opinion circles of various countries, and international friends who supported the independent revolution unanimously chose to remain silent.

After all, most "international friends" still have a little bit of conscience and bottom line, and they really can't hold back their face and forcibly wash the ground, insisting that the ideal of "all men are born free and equal" has no contradiction with the reality of slavery, and they can coexist harmoniously .

Earl Winthrop's move hit the opponent's pain point firmly, and he won the victory in the public opinion circle as he wished, and won the approval of the mother cabinet and His Majesty the King.

However, there are actually voices opposing the "Emancipation Proclamation" in Fiji.

Not to mention, even Earl Winthrop's inner circle has sharp opponents, and what makes him even more embarrassed... the person who most vehemently opposes this policy is precisely his eldest son, Bannister.

Yes, Lord Bannister Winthrop has never denied that he is a "white supremacist" and belongs to the mainstream of racists in the human world today.

However, he opposed his father's policies not only because he looked down on people of color from the bottom of his heart, but also because of more practical concerns.

Bannister opposed the enlistment of black slaves under the banner of liberation. He believed that black slaves were born stupid and cowardly, and were of little use on the battlefield, but would instead bring great pressure to their own logistics supplies.

More importantly, he worried that the emancipation of black slaves would completely anger the white slave owners in the south, force the original "royalists" to the side of the revolutionaries, and create many enemies for himself out of thin air.

Earl Winthrop listened to his son's concerns, closed the door and told him in private: don't be so naive.

"The royalist party in Alfheim is too weak to be of any importance to us. Besides, no matter whether we liberate the black slaves or not, this group of people can only hold our thighs firmly and will not let go."

"As for those 'fools', they are nothing more than a group of refined egoists. Their fear of rifles, cannons, and warships is enough to offset their anger at the escape of slaves. Losing property is better than losing life."

"The rest are the die-hard rebels, who are also our main targets. No matter whether they liberate the black slaves or not, they are impossible to surrender, so why bother with their cries!"

His Excellency the Governor's opposition to his son's racist stance does not mean that he sincerely believes in the concept of fraternity that "all men are created equal". In fact, he is a more extreme and thorough racist than Bannister. On the "chain of discrimination" in my heart, human beings are all inferior species regardless of skin color!

"Benny, your identification with white people strikes me as ridiculous."

"Don't forget, we are all the descendants of the Holy Mother. To put it bluntly, we are no longer human beings. The holy seal is enough to prove our superiority over mortals, no matter white people, black slaves or the group of yellow-skinned indigenous monkeys in the jungle , are all equal and humble in our eyes, just like the black sheep and white sheep in the sheepfold, there is no need to classify these lowly animals according to their skin color."

"You identify with white people but despise colored people. In my opinion, it is like a rancher reducing himself to the white sheep in the sheepfold, thinking that the white sheep are better than the black sheep, so they are entitled to enslave the latter, Don't you find this kind of self-willing and depraved mentality ridiculous?"

"Sheep of any color are not qualified to enslave other sheep, only their masters, that is, us, the heirs of the Virgin Mary, are eligible to enslave them."

"Whether black slaves or whites in Alfheim are in my eyes, they are just tools that can be used. If I show favoritism towards them, it is only out of political necessity, not because I really agree with one of them. Some people are more noble than others."

Contrary to his father's arrogant attitude of claiming to surpass human beings, Bannister is surrounded by many idealistic young military officers who were born in intellectual families, received good education since childhood, were deeply influenced by enlightenment thoughts.

These young idealists sincerely agree with the natural human rights and freedom and equality advocated by the Declaration of Independence, but think that the group of hypocrites headed by Jefferson in the "Continental Congress" did not really practice the program they advocated.

Bannister's good friend John Andre is one of the representatives.

John Andre is also the owner of the "Holy Seal", but his Holy Seal comes from his mother's inheritance. I am not interested in the "Superman" theory promoted by the "Brotherhood of Our Lady". On the contrary, he believes that only in In a society where everyone is equal regardless of race, only a deformed child like myself who is born with a "weird" blood can be regarded as a fellow human being and free from discrimination.

It's a pity that John Andre was still too young to see through what Earl Winthrop said was different from what he thought in his heart. He only issued the announcement out of political calculations to liberate the black slaves, thinking that His Excellency the Governor was really his fellow traveler. , singing praises for his epoch-making decision.

At the same time, John Andre was also saddened by Bannister's opposition to his father's clear and righteous measures. He always pestered Bannister, trying to instill his own ideas in him, and enthusiastically promoted the concept of equal rights.

Bannister is a very stubborn person in his bones. He neither fully agrees with his father's "superman" concept, nor fully accepts the idea of ​​equal rights advocated by his friends.

However, he was also a person who was afraid of trouble. In the end, he couldn't stand Andre's nagging, so he reluctantly accepted some black soldiers and joined the elite dragoon brigade under his command.

...

In the summer of 1627, Earl Winthrop's announcement of the emancipation of black slaves in Port Prince brought an unprecedentedly violent storm to the entire New World colony.

The propaganda position of the independent faction is in the center of the wind, and it feels tremendous pressure.

In the Continental Congress and the Continental Army, there are actually many progressives advocating the emancipation of black slaves. In the past, the voices of these minorities were always ignored, but now they are taking advantage of the wind of shareholder fanned by Earl Winthrop. , and jointly requested the Continental Army to follow the example of the hostile forces—openly recruit black slaves to join the army and give them the status of free men!