Chapter 11: Judgment of Justice

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These thugs are destroying your homes, taking away your gold, and threatening your lives.

Unless they are all sent to the gallows! Otherwise, our San Francisco will never have peace.

The laws of this land should not be defended by me alone, and justice should not be upheld by me alone. It should be up to you! The people of San Francisco, because this is our common home!

If you need me, Sam Brannan, to take action, I, Sam Brannan, will lead you to defend the laws of this land and uphold justice on this land without hesitation!

Long live the United States of America! Long live the people of California!"

The San Francisco Security Committee was established with Brannan's impassioned speech.

Although the deserters failed to attack San Francisco, they still looted some shops and houses in the city, causing incalculable losses to San Francisco.

What's more terrible is that San Francisco, which survived the robbery, is full of gangs and has become a paradise for criminals.

Brannan was not spared from the riot. The mob looted his four shops, making him one of the merchants who suffered the most losses in the riot.

Brannan was very calm. He did not indulge in the grief of property loss like other shop owners, nor did he curse the mobs blindly, because doing so would not bring him any substantial benefits.

Brannan saw opportunities in the chaotic and panic-stricken San Francisco. Perhaps he could take advantage of people's insecurity and fear.

He is now the richest man in California, but his ambition is not limited to this. He wants to go further.

With the establishment of the Security Committee, Brannan used his gold and US dollars to buy off some gangs in San Francisco, where gangs are everywhere, and used these gangs to eliminate other gangs.

The security in San Francisco improved in a very short time, which was something that Sheriff Flagg did not do.

Brannan's reputation in San Francisco rose as a result, which was exactly what he wanted to see.

It was just a matter of convenience to rectify the public security in San Francisco. This was not the purpose of Brannan's establishment of the Chengan Committee. The gold spent must be recovered and converted into tangible benefits.

Liang Yao returned to San Francisco. He had already clearly felt the difference in San Francisco. Groups of gunmen with armbands patrolled the streets and alleys of San Francisco, and from time to time, they took those "thugs" out of the stores.

The onlookers applauded and rushed into the store to start the zero-dollar shopping mode. They only regretted that their parents did not give them two more hands so that they could take more goods from the store.

"Mr. Brannan is the savior sent by God to San Francisco!"

"San Francisco without Mr. Brannan is unimaginable!"

"I like them to uphold justice. I really hope they can uphold justice every day!"

People who came out of the store with full loads said so.

"Trial of criminals! Mr. Brannan is trying criminals in the square!"

The news that Brannan was trying the "thugs" in the square quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of San Francisco, and people went to the square to watch the first trial in California's history.

Liang Yao, who had the "bad roots of the Chinese nation", was naturally no exception, and went to the square to watch the execution with Robinson.

"Jenkins? No! He is not a thug! He is just a law-abiding shopkeeper, a legal businessman!"

After seeing the face of the defendant clearly, Robinson had a painful expression on his face.

"What crime did poor Jenkins commit?"

"According to the laws of the United States of America, Jenkins is a good citizen who abides by the law. If he committed any crime, the only charge is that he blocked Brannan's way to wealth, but this charge is enough to send him to the gallows in San Francisco."

California has not yet been established as a state, so naturally there is no state law. If you want to follow the law, you can only follow the laws of the federal government of the United States.

Liang Yao saw more clearly than Robinson. In California today, whoever has the most gold and the strongest fist is the law. Now this person is Brannan.

"This is a blasphemy against the laws of the United States of America!" Robinson was extremely indignant.

In this country with a post-Roman Empire-style cloak, advocating the law has become a consensus among middle-class and well-educated citizens like Robinson.

He would not allow the sacred law to be blasphemed, even though all the laws in the world are extensions of the will of the ruling class, and Robinson is not a member of the ruling class.

"If you say that the laws of the United States of America are blasphemed, there are too many people who deserve to die." Liang Yao shrugged and spread his hands and said.

"Are you going to behead? Where is the executioner? Where is the knife?"

Deng Wenyu, who came to San Francisco with Liang Yao, was curiously looking around, trying to find the executioner.

He had not seen beheading, but he heard that Guangzhou City beheaded several Guangxi rebels who spread rumors and misled the public and regarded ghosts as their fathers two years ago.

I didn't expect to see beheading in the United States, which made Deng Wenyu a little excited and expectant.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the well-dressed Brannan is the executioner. People in the United States think beheading is too bloody. They prefer to hang people with ropes or burn them to death, which is more civilized."

Deng Wenyu looked at Brannan, who was very different from the executioner in his impression, and murmured to himself: "It's all death anyway, is there any difference? Maybe death by beheading would be more enjoyable."

"What are your companions talking about?" Robinson, who couldn't understand Cantonese, asked curiously.

"He was saying that direct beheading might be more humane than hanging." Liang Yao scratched his scalp and explained to Robinson.

Brannan pretended to weave Jenkins' unfounded charges in front of an excited crowd, and finally sentenced Jenkins to hanging.

Brannan then placed a noose around Jenkins' neck.

"Brannan, you will get your comeuppance!"

A heartbroken Jenkins glared at Brannan.

"When you get to heaven, I will tell God about your evil deeds! God will punish you!"

"No, you will go to hell. Go talk to Satan about this!"

Brannan's mouth twitched involuntarily, and he hanged Jenkins himself.

In this absurd trial, Brannan played the role of judge, jury, and executioner alone.

Jenkins became the first victim of Brannan's men, and there may be second, third or even more victims later, that is, Brannan's competitors were sent to the gallows.

By using lynching to hang Jenkins, Brannan is no longer just a selfish and profit-seeking businessman and speculator. He wants much more than that.

"Chief Flag, are you here too? What a coincidence, I was just about to visit you."

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Liang Yao saw Flagg with a bandage on his right hand and a complicated expression.

In the eyes of these indifferent people, Brannan is now the king of San Francisco and even California. No one will remember that there is a police chief in California.

Of course, that's not the worst.

Flagg also knew that California's chaotic state could not continue forever. There's gold here, and it's only a matter of time before the full administrative judiciary of the United States settles here.

Obviously, Brannan's behavior had clearly crossed the line and far exceeded Flagg's psychological expectations.

Flagg received a lot of gold from Brannan. If he were to be investigated in the future, people would only regard him as the police chief as an accomplice of the villain Brannan.

"Oh? It's really a coincidence." Flagg raised his head and forced a smile, "I received your greetings and gifts. Thank you Liang, and Dr. Robinson. Your medicine is very useful."

Flagg entertained Liang Yao and Robinson at his home, and he also knew that he would not go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything.

He knew that Liang Yao and Robinson came all the way from Sacramento to San Francisco to find him, and they didn't just come to visit him and care about his injury.

“California is not just about San Francisco, Sacramento is growing very quickly and a lot of people are now settling there.

Of course, the current security situation there is not optimistic either. I guess upright Sheriff Flagg doesn't want Sacramento to be the next San Francisco. "

Liang Yao directly explained the purpose of his visit, but this time his words of praise were obviously not as effective as the last time. I think Brannan's use of lynching gave Flagg a lot of stimulation.

With an expression of indifference, Flagg cut off a half-cooked piece of beef from the steak and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

"So you want me to send some police officers to Sacramento? Maybe your request is reasonable. It is our duty to protect the safety of American citizens, but I need to report to my superiors."

Liang Yao knew that this was just Fleger's perfunctory words, so he asked Deng Wenyu to bring a full 1,000 ounces of gold.

Words of praise are hard to use, and Liang Yao doesn't expect the gold to exert much magic power.

As expected, the gold impressed Mrs. Flagg, who had not seen much of the world, but did not impress Flagg.

Flagg wants gold, but these lovable things are now very hot in his eyes.

"Oh, dear, you have no reason to refuse this little gentleman's reasonable request, they are just insecure."

Mrs. Flagg couldn't put it down and played with the gold, feeling its heavy weight.

"Go away! Clean up your kitchen!"

Flagg slammed his fist on the table and raged at his wife.

Liang Yao also knew that Flagg liked gold, but gold was not what Flagg wanted most right now.

"On the day California becomes a state, if those fat-bellied members of the government and your bosses are surprised to find that in this chaotic land there is a place of order and strict observance of the laws of the United States. I think they will be very happy. A surprise, and all of this is thanks to you, Mr. Flagg.”

Liang Yao continued to try to convince Flagg that in a short period of time, he would not be able to organize a private armed force with combat effectiveness comparable to the combat effectiveness of these former professional or semi-professional mounted police. What's more, Flagg has legal law enforcement authority granted by the federal government, so Flagg is very critical to him.

"Chief Flagg, Sacramento needs you." Dr. Robinson also cast an earnest look at Flagg.

Flagg just took a sip of milk, then wiped his mouth and threw the napkin casually on the table.