NOVEL NEXT Major General Kim grinned, "Thank you, sir. Although I was looking forward to fighting by your side, it seems as though this is the route we must take to ensure victory."
The two men were walking back to the marine camp after the meeting had adjourned for the day, with General Putnam staying behind to discuss matters with the Massachusetts representatives. After the meeting ended, he was pulled aside to speak with some of the more prominent statesmen in the room and reassured the representatives that had issues or concerns with the war and the future United States. The meeting was a relative success, despite the fact that the representatives from the Carolinas stormed out of the meeting. The remaining members of the Continental Congress were more receptive to the Asian man's ideas, even though several of them were controversial. The representatives of New York and Pennsylvania initially balked at the idea of conceding western territory but also recognized that the Six Nations could potentially be a staging point of invasion if they sided with the British. Additionally, General Kim's rather lucrative offer of money and promises of rapid industrialization after the war were convincing enough that the representatives were willing to negotiate the exact boundaries, should the Native Americans accept General Kim's offer. Afterward, they supported the marine general's two-front attack after seeing that they had the initiative against the British and recognizing that they would be able to avoid the mistakes of the other history.
General Washington volunteered to lead the main forces of the Continental Army to threaten Nova Scotia, striking at Fort Cumberland and moving forward towards the port town of Halifax. Since most of the British that managed to retreat from the Battle of Bunker Hill were in the area, it was decided that the core of the Continental Army was needed to push the British into the sea. And with the knowledge that there were numerous pro-patriot sympathizers in the area, General Washington was confident that the Continental Army would be able to seize Fort Cumberland at the very least and place pressure on the British so that the invasion of Quebec would have a higher chance of succeeding.
Meanwhile, General Kim's regiment was officially designated as an "Extra Continental Regiment," though it was agreed to allow the regiment to expand further in size. While he was an Extra Continental Regiment and still under the authority of General Washington, his unit was considered a "special" unit and he was to be fairly independent of the main chain of command. Additionally, the major general was given one additional regiment, the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, to seize the province of Quebec. The Continental Congress formally commissioned him as a major general and gave their approval to allow him to deal with the Six Nations and the French Canadians. Amusingly, his insignia on his uniform changed once more once the words were spoken, changing from an eagle to two stars. When the members of the Continental Congress saw this, they were mystified and shocked, much like General Putnam at Bunker Hill, and seemed more receptive to the newly minted general's plans. He was given the power to negotiate on behalf of the Continental Congress for both factions, appoint a military governor if he was successful in his invasion, and recruit further men if necessary. To show his appreciation, the newly commissioned general offered to pay for the pay and supplies of any men under his command to lighten the financial burdens of the Continental Congress, which they accepted gladly. In total, he was now the official leader of over one thousand men.
However, the two generals were planning to stay within the vicinity of Philadelphia for an additional month. During this time, they planned to recruit more men for their respective units and to train them for battle. Additionally, with the gold Major General Kim had at hand (he had given a majority of the gold he collected over the past 13 days to Congress), the two officers sought to gather supplies for the campaign ahead.
"I am sure we will fight together one day, General Kim, but we must carry out our duties for victory."
"Undoubtedly, sir. But for now, we will be able to train our unit together and ensure the men are somewhat capable before starting the invasion." Major General replied as they reached the entrance of the camp. Two marines standing at the front of the entrance saluted the two generals entering. The Asian general turned to them and saluted back, "Well, men, I have an important announcement to make. Tell the men to be battle-ready and assemble at the front of the camp within 5 minutes.."
The two marines looked stunned and scrambled into the camp to relay the command to the rest of the regiment. The regiment took some time to assemble, as some platoons were a distance away from camp for training. However, once the entire regiment was standing shoulder to shoulder in front of their commander (along with the rather disheveled non-marines), Major General Kim did not scold them and instead broke out into a wide smile. "The wait is over men of the 1st Marine Regiment. I have been officially commissioned as a Major General and you are all soldiers of the Continental Army."
Cheers broke out through the ranks as some tossed their caps in the air to celebrate. Major General Kim allowed them to continue their celebration for some time before continuing. "Additionally, we have been given permission to recruit more men for the regiment and we will have another regiment joining forces with us for a military campaign. Men of the 1st Marine Regiment! We have been given our first objective as an official unit under the Continental Army. We are to secure an alliance with the Six Nations and then invade the province of Quebec, liberating the French Canadians from the hands of the British! We will march to Montreal, and then to Quebec in order to show the British how much you have improved as a unit and to show them that we can take the war to them!"
"Oorah!"
The commanding officer of the marines' smile got wider as he heard their battle cry. "As such, we will continue training and preparing for the campaign for one month's time. During this time, you will be expected to train harder as we are now representatives of the Continental Congress itself! We are also to help the civilians in and around the city in our spare time to build their trust and win their hearts while recruiting more men for our regiment as well! After a single month, we will move forward to victory!"
"Oorah!"
"As your commanding officer, I will allow you to enjoy some time off for today. I will give your pay in advance so you may go to town and celebrate accordingly. If you wish to stay behind, you may do so and rest. If you are going into the city, remember the rules of our unit carefully: no excessive drinking, no harassing civilians, and remain respectful to all you come by. I encourage you to find individuals that may be willing to join our regiment as well. You are to return by 2200 hours and be ready to carry out your duties tomorrow morning as usual. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Regiment dismissed."
After the marines excitedly took off, General Washington also gave a short speech to his own men and handed out pay accordingly. Thanks to the funds that Congress acquired through the major general, the Continental Army was able to at least get paid for the time being. He also allowed his men to take some time off for the day but warned them that they will begin training tomorrow morning alongside the marines. There were some grumbles about this, as the soldiers in Washington's army were more than aware of the rather grueling training the marines endured but went on their way accordingly.
General Washington excused himself for the time being as a messenger brought news that Thomas Jefferson sought to speak with him. Nodding respectfully, the tall commander trotted away on his horse towards the city.
Approximately five dozen marines stayed behind in the camp when General Kim entered the camp once more. All of them looked sharp and they were lined up neatly within the center of camp and looking at their officer stoically. The general inspected the faces of those that remained behind and saw that a majority of them were officers, including all three battalion leaders. He looked at them with a stern expression but smiled as they refused to be intimidated. "Well, then lads, is there a reason for lining up in the middle of camp even though I gave you the day off?"
"We would like to receive additional assignments, sir." Major McClary declared as he saluted.
"Very well. Major McClary, lead the remaining men and have them practice at the firing range, but with running included. It's the same drill that I taught the battalion leaders just two days ago. Additionally, assign a few of the men to guard the perimeter just in case. We do not want to let down our guard."
Major McClary nodded, "Yes, sir!"
The group sullied off, leaving the general to his own devices. However, not a minute had passed when one of the corporals approached him and saluted him, "Sir, you have visitors at the gate. They said they are Representatives William Hooper of North Carolina and Christopher Gadsen of South Carolina from the Continental Congress. They have asked me to let you know that they are here to negotiate on behalf of their colonies."
"Allow them to enter and escort them to my tent, private. You have my thanks."
General Kim walked to his tent and entered, setting up some refreshments for his guests. He was pouring out some cold coffee when the two representatives walked in and greeted the general. Representative Hooper stepped forward ahead of his counterpart and stuck out his hand, "I apologize for my actions earlier, General Kim, but I hope you understand that your proposal was radical for the representatives of the Carolinas. Our slave populations are quite large and many of us were intimidated at the prospect of being outnumbered by former slaves, especially since some of them will be hostile to us after their freedom. But discussing matters with other representatives, we have agreed to hear your exact proposal and send your words back to our colonies for a final decision."
"Please gentlemen, sit and we can discuss the issue at hand." General Kim pulled out several crates in front of the small table he used as his personal workspace. The men looked a bit offended but took their seats on the crates anyways. "I also must apologize for my aggressive tactics during the meeting, but do understand in the world that I come from, the people in my times were angry at the treatment of African Americans after the Revolutionary War. They were outraged at the fact that our country, founded on democratic principles and liberty, would maintain slavery for over a century, and oppressive any non-whites for two centuries."
Representative Gadsen winced, "Yes, well, I can understand general. I don't own any slaves myself and I can see that slavery would be contradictory to liberty and equality. But I'm afraid many in my colony will not see it that way unless they are guaranteed compensation and reassurance that the slaves won't revolt against them once they are free."
"Which is why I have a plan that may appeal to both of your colonies. We will gradually emancipate the slaves, with total emancipation set year happening in the year 1800. That will give some time for the slave owners to adjust and be compensated for their losses. During this time, if slave owners wish to emancipate their slaves early, they are free to do so. I will offer a chance for any slave owners to "sell" their slaves to me, and the freed slaves can then join my regiment to fight the British. I will also offer additional payments to the Carolinas and reveal technology from the future to help them increase production even with the loss of slaves. All I ask you, gentlemen, is to convince the members of your colonies that the slaves will not revolt after they are free, that they can still use African Americans as laborers provided that they are paid and have their rights, and that they will be able to make record profits even without slavery."
Both representatives looked at each other and nodded afterward. Representative Hooper cleared his throat, "Perhaps I was too hasty before, General. Your offer seems... valid. But it will take some time for the others to agree. I will ride with a few members of the delegation to North Carolina to make the case and if all is successful, we will officially become part of this "United States."
"As will I," Representative Gadsen affirmed.
Suddenly, a bright light filled up the tent, making all three men shield their eyes from the glow. Once the light disappeared, there were several additional crates inside the general's tent. General Kim also felt a burning sensation in his pocket, the pocket with the "magic messenger" inside. He pulled out a scrap of paper and read the content, while the representatives looked bewildered and frightened at the sudden appearance of seven crates.
"Check your storage later on also.
You have received the following for your successes so far:
1) Advance payment for the states of New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina to convince their delegations of your plan (each state will receive the content of one crate currently in your tent). Additionally, there will be three crates for the Continental Congress to utilize for the war.
2) 1000 Rifled muskets, along with plenty of additional ammunition and gunpowder.
3) Additional uniforms and packs.
4) A crap ton of more medical supplies.
Good luck!"
General Kim bolted from his seat and ran over to the crates. Each of the crates had a label on them and he inspected the ones that were labeled "North Carolina" and "South Carolina."
He opened the crates and came face to face with stacks of gold and silver bars, each of them 100 ounces. Each box contained 20 bars of each metal, and the general calculated the amount of money in the crates.
£112,000 in each crate.
"Gentlemen, I believe that I have something that may make your argument much more convincing."