Chapter 501: Elliot's Logic

The sound of gunfire outside Victoria Harbor and the U.S. troops on the border made the 20,000 British and Irish immigrants in British Columbia uneasy and panic-stricken.

The British colonial authorities in British Columbia knew that Liang Yao and Stevens were not the same kind of people.

The frustrated Stevens could be bought with money, but Liang Yao, who was well-connected in the military, political and business circles, had everything he needed. Such a person could not be bought with money.

Before coming to British Columbia to serve as governor, Elliot thought he knew the Chinese very well.

Based on his personal experience in the Opium War, Elliot came into contact with many Manchu and Han dignitaries and gentry in the Qing Dynasty.

Short-sighted, timid, unenterprising, greedy for comfort and pleasure, fond of smoking opium, like to live in his own comfort zone, and fearful of all strange things in the outside world.

This is Elliot's perception of the Qing dignitaries, especially the Manchu dignitaries in the Qing Dynasty.

However, these old perceptions of his did not seem to apply to America.

The Chinese who settled in California and the Chinese in the Qing Dynasty seemed to be two different races.

They no longer have the shortcomings of the Qing people.

Canada is the core colony of the British Empire, but British Columbia is not.

Like America, the core area of ​​Canadian colonies is in the east rather than the west.

Speaking of Canadian colonies, the British Prime Minister living in 10 Downing Street first thinks of New Brunswick, Quebec, Montreal, and Wahoo on both sides of the St. Lawrence River, rather than the barren British Columbia.

If British politicians are asked where British Columbia and Vancouver Island are, even if they reply that they don't know, is there such a place? Elliot is not surprised.

After all, there are so many pearls on the Queen's crown that even Queen Victoria, who wears the crown, doesn't know how many there are.

Elliot looked at Liang Yao's sphere of influence on the map.

Its territory is like a giant snake with a bloody mouth, running through the entire Pacific coast of North America.

Northern Oregon is the snake's head with a bloody mouth, Southern Oregon and California are the bloated and huge body of the snake, and Baja California and Southern Baja California are the tail of the snake.

The bloody mouth of this giant snake is aimed at Vancouver Island and the Vancouver Plains area that has only been developed since Elliot took office. It seems that these areas are regarded as prey and are to be swallowed up in one bite.

On Elliot's desk are letters from Victoria Harbor and distress messages sent by Bellingham Base to New Westminster City through carrier pigeons.

Driving a gunboat to a port controlled by the British Empire and firing cannons openly, such an arrogant and arrogant act made Elliot, the governor, unable to remain silent.

Elliot decided to go out and meet Liang Yao to show Liang Yao his attitude and show that he was backed by the most powerful empire in the world.

He wanted to let Liang Yao know what he was doing now and what serious consequences would be incurred, and hoped that he, a young man, could take care of himself.

On the way to Duwamish (Liangyao City), Elliot saw that the American immigration company was transporting immigrants to settle in the San Juan Islands.

This made Elliot so angry that he trembled all over. The sovereignty of the San Juan Islands was undetermined, and the Americans were so brazenly immigrating to these islands. This was a provocation to the authority of the British Empire.

At the same time, he was very envious of America. This place was very close to the mainland of America. After the development and growth of California, the original Northeast Pacific power structure, where Britain and the United States were on par with each other and Tsarist Russia was second, had been broken.

Now the power structure in the Northeast Pacific is that America is first, followed by the British Empire. With the decline of the Alaska Russian-American Company, Tsarist Russia's influence in the Northeast Pacific has been negligible.

After all, the players on the table on the west coast of the Pacific are now only the United Kingdom and the United States.

Elliot noticed that the American Immigration Company did not transport immigrants by dozens of people, but by hundreds of people, which made Elliot feel very sour.

You should know that after he discovered the Feng Shui treasure land of Vancouver Plain, in order to develop this Feng Shui treasure land, he even moved his Governor's Palace from the safe military fortress of Victoria Harbor to New Westminster, and attracted local immigrants and colonial companies to British Columbia for four consecutive years.

Even so, the population of the entire British Columbia region has only increased by 7,000 people, of which more than 1,000 are Americans.

And more than 7,000 immigrants seem to be just a drizzle for the other party.

In recent years, Liang Yao has been immigrating to the West Coast region like he has an inexhaustible human resource mine.

If it were in the past, seeing the American immigration company swaggering to San Juan to immigrate, Elliot would have ordered the fleet to fire a few shots to drive away these "illegal immigrants".

But now Elliot dares not, because the fleets of these American immigration companies are not only escorted by armed merchant ships, but also by gunboats of the Umbrella Company.

The straight-line distance from New Westminster to Liangyao City is less than 200 kilometers. Even if the waterway is tortuous and requires some turns, it is only less than 300 kilometers by water.

It took Elliot one day to reach Liangyao City, which was previously Duwamish City, by boat.

When he entered Liangyao City, Elliot felt even worse. Merchant ships from California and Oregon were loading and unloading supplies at the port one after another.

The arrival of new immigrants has injected new vitality into this frontier town that was once depressed in all industries and withered people's livelihood.

It was already evening when Yilu arrived in Liangyao City, but this small border town did not enter the dormant stage with the arrival of night.

The immigrants were still busy using the light from kerosene lamps and bonfires, either carrying supplies or paving roads and building houses. It seemed that they had endless energy in their bodies and did not feel tired at all.

There is no harm without comparison. It took Yilu more than four years to barely build New Westminster into a small city with a population of less than 10,000.

The city is still dilapidated. Except for his governor's palace and the headquarters of several colonial companies, New Westminster is just a few simple wooden houses without much flavor of modern civilization.

A very important part of the reason is the quality of immigrants. The English, Scottish, and Irish immigrants in British Columbia were not refugees before they immigrated, but criminals and vagrants who were idle on the streets and had no physical limbs.

It is indeed very difficult to expect these people to build up British Columbia, but Yilu does not have many choices.

Compared with the vast colonies, the core population of the British Empire was still too small.

"Governor Yilu, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Liang Yao welcomed the British governor at the old governor's palace.

This place has now been transformed into the temporary city hall of the Liangyao Municipal Government.

"Your Excellency marched to the border, sailed warships to our port, fired cannons and demonstrated, and besieged our settlements. Are you showing off your force to the British Empire?"

As soon as they met, Yilu asked sharply.

"Your Excellency Governor, what are you talking about? I, Liang, have not overestimated my capabilities to such an extent that I wielded swords and guns in front of your country." Liang Yao stared at Yilu with squinted eyes.

"Besides, I can't afford these unfounded charges."

"It's unreasonable? So, I have wronged you?" Yilu said displeased.

"Your Excellency has indeed wronged me. We are acting entirely in accordance with the "Oregon Treaty" signed with your country in 1846." Liang Yao said without being humble or overbearing.

"The "Oregon Treaty" stipulates that the United States and the British Canadian colonies are bounded by 49° north latitude. Our personnel are gathering on our own territory. What is wrong? If your country even controls this, it would be too broad. Come on."

Yilu was speechless for a moment. As an important member of Great Britain, he was used to being arrogant and domineering. He had a powerful mother country behind him, so taking advantage of others was not that important to Yilu. For the British Empire, the most important thing is to gain more benefits for yourself.

As for reason, wherever the British gunboats reach, there is reason.

It's just that the British gunboats here don't seem to be as strong as the United States, and Yilu has to reconsider what he thinks is the truth.

"Then what about your warship firing cannons outside Victoria Harbor? What's the explanation for this?" Yi Lu continued to criticize, he sneered.

"Is this also in compliance with the Oregon Treaty?"

"Exactly, as the Governor of British Columbia, Your Excellency Yilu must have checked such an important boundary treaty, right?" Liang Yao asked rhetorically.

For the Governor of British Columbia, the Treaty of Oregon was the most important border treaty, and it was impossible for Elysian to be unaware of its existence.

When Elliot sent people from the British Colonial Company to settle across the border, he was just pretending to be ignorant and taking advantage of the situation when the United States still had no control over the northern Oregon region.

The Columbia Plains that the British refer to are, in a geographical sense, the plains downstream of the Fraser River.

The plain belongs to the British side to the north of 49° north latitude, and to the American side to the south.

The Bellingham stronghold where the British illegally settled began in the lower plains of the Fraser River south of 49° north latitude.

Since taking office, Justice has attached great importance to the development of the so-called Columbia Plain (the lower Fraser River plain). The purpose of illegal cross-border immigrants has been clearly revealed: an attempt to occupy the entire lower Fraser River plain.

It's just that Yilu didn't expect that Liang Yao would go north so quickly and expel Stevens' forces from the west coast into the inland areas so quickly.

"According to the Oregon Treaty, the waterways south of 59 degrees north latitude are open to both Britain and the United States. Since the Governor is familiar with the treaty, this must be clear to the Governor." Ge Wen also tortured Yilu.

"You have occupied the waterway for a long time and obstructed the normal commercial activities of our American merchants. How do you explain it? Our ships are conducting exercises in the waterway to protect the rights and interests of our citizens. It is also forced by you and is a last resort. "

Ge Wen threw all the responsibility to the British side.