Lincoln and Seward sat opposite each other, both with solemn expressions on their faces.
Although the two of them had promised Li Zhen that they would punish McDowell when they were at the Dading Restaurant, they were not willing to deal with Brigadier General McDowell. After all, McDowell was also thinking about the country, so he It is justifiable to make such a decision and it should not be disappointing to others.
Lincoln looked at Seward and said, "Sir Seward, you are usually the most scheming and quick-thinking. Now, what can you do about Brigadier General McDowell's matter?"
Siward shook his head and said: "It's not easy to handle, after all, Li Zhen is holding on to her and won't let go."
Lincoln slapped his hand on the desk and said bitterly: "Do we really have to deal with McDowell? If so, how can we make the officers and soldiers of the army gravitate towards the Union in the future? After all, McDowell acted without permission for the Union." Make a decision." After a pause, Lincoln said angrily: "It's true that McDowell didn't win the war and got it back in despair. Now he still makes decisions without authorization, which makes us very embarrassed. He fails more than he succeeds. ."
Siward frowned and said, "It's useless to complain. Find a solution quickly."
Lincoln said: "It's not easy to deal with."
Seward said: "No matter what, I don't support having to deal with Brigadier General McDowell. The best result is to be able to take care of both Brigadier General McDowell and Li Zhen's emotions. Only by appeasing both of them can things be successful." If the solution only meets Li Zhen’s conditions, I don’t agree.”
Lincoln sighed: "It's easier said than done."
The two people looked at each other, with deep helplessness in their eyes.
"Dong, dong,."
There was a sudden knock on the door.
Lincoln said impatiently: "Come in."
The door opened, and Mr. Scott, the incoming commander of the coalition forces, strode in. Lincoln saw Scott coming in and asked: "Sir Scott, what happened on the frontline battlefield?"
Scott said: "Yes, there is indeed something."
Lincoln's expression changed drastically, he sat up straight and asked, "What's going on?"
Scott was not in a hurry and said calmly: "Mr. President, there is no need to be so nervous. The current situation is very good for us. We are still moving forward steadily, and we have achieved good results both at sea and on land." , but the soldiers in the southern army have the machine guns used by the Chinese army. This weapon is extremely lethal, which slows down the advancement of the battlefield, causing us a lot of trouble and greatly increasing our casualties."
Lincoln gritted his teeth and said: "It's a weapon again. Misfortunes never come singly."
Scott changed the topic and continued: "Besides the weapons thing, there is another thing. I heard that the army surrounded Dading Restaurant and the soldiers wanted to arrest Li Zhen. What is going on? Why did they suddenly want to arrest him? Where to arrest Li Zhen."
Seward explained: "The thing is like this, McDowell learned that the weapons used by the southern army soldiers were from China, and thought that Li Zhen sold the weapons to the south, so he directly sent a major with a company of soldiers We went to arrest Li Zhen, but who knew that the major did not catch Li Zhen, but was caught by Li Zhen. Now, Li Zhen is obsessed with this matter and must punish Brigadier General McDowell. Li Zhen is messing around. We are very worried. It’s embarrassing, after all, McDowell is also doing it for the country.”
Lincoln sighed: "Li Zhen is too cunning. He put the responsibility of selling weapons into the hands of businessmen, saying that the businessmen bought the weapons from China and then resold them to the south. We can't catch Li Zhen."
Scott thought for a moment, and then said with a smile: "The solution is very simple. On the surface, charge McDowell with a crime, and then let McDowell out after the storm of this matter has passed. I believe that McDowell will be released." You can understand our intentions. As for the issue of weapons, the weapons in the south are very powerful. We must purchase weapons, otherwise, the losses will be even greater."
Lincoln said: "Mr. Scott's suggestion is good, but this is the only way we can deal with it at the moment."
Siward shook his head and said, "It's not that simple."
Lincoln asked, "Why."
Siward said: "We have been dealing with Li Zhen for a while. Don't you know Li Zhen? This guy is a man who will retaliate when he sees a favor. If we want to buy weapons from him, I’m afraid I’ll be blackmailed.”
Scott took the initiative and said: "I have some friendship with Li Zhen, I'll give it a try."
Siward was overjoyed and said: "Sir Scott is willing to go, so it is most suitable."
Lincoln said: "Thank you for your hard work."
Scott shook his head and said: "Everything is for the country, no hard work."
He stood up to say goodbye and left the President's Office. Scott was willing to contribute to the country. As long as he could help the country solve its difficulties, it didn't matter if he didn't want this old face. Scott came outside the room where Li Zhen lived and knocked on the door. After a while, Huang Qiang opened the door, saw Scott, and welcomed Scott into the room.
After Scott sat down, he said straight to the point: "President Lee, my visit this time is not a private matter, but a business matter. I am here for Brigadier General McDowell and weapons."
Li Zhen smiled and said: "Speak directly."
Scott continued: "President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward are discussing the matter of convicting McDowell, so I ask President Lee to wait patiently. At the same time, the federal government wants to purchase a batch of weapons from Mr. President to attack the South. government."
Li Zhen smiled slightly and said: "I'll wait and see about McDowell. As for the weapons, I'm also willing to sell them. A machine gun, according to China's currency, for one hundred taels of silver."
Scott's eyes widened, a look of horror appeared on his face, and he almost roared: "Why don't you go grab the money."
Li Zhen shrugged indifferently and said: "Mr. Scott, because you are here, I will give you such a preferential price. If it were Lincoln and Seward who came, I would definitely pay three to five hundred taels of silver a day." It's a machine gun. If you think it's expensive, you don't have to buy it. Anyway, I don't lack the money. Of course, you don't need too many such machine guns. Ten thousand machine guns are enough. They can be equipped on every battlefield, enough to fight with the opponent. of firepower to contend with.”
Scott said pitifully: "President Lee, is it cheaper?"
Li Zhen said: "This is the lowest price and cannot be lowered."
After Scott was silent for a long time, he said, "I'll discuss it with President Lincoln and tell you the result." After that, Scott left Li Zhen's residence and walked toward Lincoln's office, where he reported the news. Afterwards, Lincoln and Seward discussed for a long time and had no choice but to agree. The initiative was in Li Zhen's hands and they had no right to refute.
Because, Li Zhen only gave two choices.
To buy, or not to buy.
You don't have to buy it. Li Zhen didn't want to sell it yet. In order to get the weapons, Lincoln and Seward could only endure the pain of being ripped off by Li Zhen and spent one million taels of silver to buy 10,000 machine guns to equip the army.