Chapter 542
Bay of Cortez, California.
John Fremont felt insulted at the American Expeditionary Forces makeshift camp.
Just now the envoy from the Austrian-Mexican Joint Development Company came to persuade him to surrender. Originally, the former and his officers did not intend to see the Austrian.
Because at this time, although the US military lost their fleet commander Robert Stockton and 95% of their marines, John Fremont stabilized the situation with his strong leadership and huge reputation.
The latter was very familiar with the California area, so he led the US Navy to target Austria's pain points.
Not only had they won consecutive victories, they had also plundered a large amount of supplies. At this time, they were full of confidence and well-equipped. Although there was no domestic news, he believed in President John Tyler's ability and that he would win on the frontal battlefield. When the time came, he and this lone army would still be heroes.
Moreover, Austria had no countermeasures against the attack on sea power, which meant that John Fremont would be invincible without going ashore and fighting the opponent decisively.
He himself couldn't think of any reason for surrendering, but then an officer suggested it.
"It's okay to listen and see what tricks these Austrians want to play. No matter how much money they offer, we say it's too little. We can take this opportunity to humiliate them."
John Freemont thought this proposal was a good one, so that his life would be more legendary.
The Austrian envoy Ashton Hoffman was the son of a Jewish businessman. After graduating from college, he worked as a reserve officer in Vienna for decades.
This situation was not unusual at the time, because he was Jewish and had no official relatives in the government. Fortunately, with Franz's "talent plan", Ashton passed the exam and stood out.
When Ashton arrived in California, his immediate boss was the meritocratic Baron Brooke at first. His outstanding ability naturally led to rapid success. Later, John Cinna became the top administrator, and he received extra care because of his Jewish identity.
So Ashton took the initiative to take on this extremely dangerous mission. The reason why it is dangerous is not just to find the US fleet on the vast sea, but also the mission itself that will put him in danger.
So Ashton Hoffman, the envoy of the Austrian-Merke Joint Development Company, was "invited" to the temporary headquarters of this expeditionary force.
In order to humiliate his enemies, John Fremont specially selected some tall and fierce-looking soldiers to stand on both sides of the road, hoping to give the opponent a showdown.
But Ashton didn't feel scared. On the contrary, he felt very honored.
Ashton regarded these soldiers as a guard of honor to welcome him, but when he thought about the fact that he was here on behalf of Austria at this time, he felt that the standards given by the Americans were low.
John Freemont and a group of American officers were a little disappointed, but it didn't matter as long as they could regain their ground in the subsequent bargaining session.
Ashton glanced around and found that the US military headquarters was simpler than he had imagined. The entire military camp was built on an open land covered with yellow sand. Tents and luggage were placed randomly together, and there were not even makeshift wooden fences.
As long as they are discovered by the cavalry, a charge can push them all into the sea.
John Freemont seemed to have seen through the other person's mind, so he said.
"Don't look, you Austrians can't find it here. Even if you go back and tell them that I am here, we will have already moved by the time they come.
All you have to do is get your ass kicked by us! Ha ha! "
The US military officers who heard this also laughed.
"Ha ha!"
"You are really good at telling jokes. Archbishop Carl Ferdinand appreciates this skill of yours very much. It is worth at least one hundred dollars." Ashton said slowly.
John Fremont couldn't laugh as soon as these words came out, because the other person said that he was only worth a hundred dollars, which was undoubtedly an insult to this great explorer, military strategist, politician, and conspiracy activist.
"What do you mean?" said John Fremont, somewhat sullenly.
"I said that if you are willing to work for us, I would like to apply to the Grand Duke for a job with an annual salary of one hundred dollars." Ashton "explained" nonchalantly.
"Are you here to insult me?" John Fremont asked.
"No, I'm here to talk business," Ashton retorted.
"Ha! Do you talk business like this?" John Freemont laughed angrily.
"A very reasonable price," Ashton said.
The surrounding US military officers were also very angry. You must know that John Fremont was the leader of this army at this time, and he was also a great pioneer and a representative of the American spirit in the world.
In addition, the most important thing is that the Austrians now have nothing to do with their fleet. It was also the Austrian side that proposed negotiations, so according to these Americans, Ashton should be more humble.
"You are so arrogant! Your army has nothing to do with us. What qualifications do you have to be so rude in front of us?!" a navy commodore shouted angrily.
"You are the rude person, and you are not qualified to negotiate. But I can give you a basic salary of fifty dollars per year. There is no upper limit!"
Ashton's words are indeed correct. The brigadier general cannot represent the US military at this time.
"Are Austrians like you? Maybe you can rule the world just by talking." John Fremont mocked.
Ashton smiled and raised his hand.
"Allow me to show you something."
John Freemont nodded. He didn't think the other party would pull out a gun, but he still took two steps back.
Ashton took a letter out of his hand and handed it to John Fremont.
The latter asked as he took the envelope.
"What's this?"
"This is the list of officers who have been killed or missing in your army recently, as well as the latest battle report of this war." Ashton said with a smile.
After John Fremont took it apart, he took one look at it and yelled angrily.
"You're talking nonsense!"
"I'm not talking nonsense! You haven't received a battle report for a long time, right?" Ashton said calmly, but the US military officers around him couldn't help but feel a little bit in their hearts.
John Fremont knew that he could not continue to quarrel on this matter, otherwise the morale of the army would be completely ruined. He quietly put the letter away and changed the subject.
"Since you are here to discuss business, how much do you think our fleet is worth?"
"Five million dollars," Ashton replied almost without thinking.
"What!" All the Americans present exclaimed in disbelief.
Because there are nearly 20,000 people in this fleet, which means that on average each person only has 250 US dollars.
"You mean we're only worth $250 each?" John Freemont snorted.
Ashton waved his hand.
"No, you're wrong. Your entire fleet is worth five million dollars, including weapons and equipment."