章 110: Kim's Return and Advancements
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States of America
April 11th, 1791
President Jefferson sipped some of the green tea provided for him and sighed, "So your trip to Japan was fairly lackluster compared to your trip to the other Asian nations..."
The president and the former president were chatting quietly in the Presidential Office within the executive residence. The sun shone brightly through the windows as the two men enjoyed each other's company. It had been nearly a year since Jefferson last saw Samuel, but the man was still the same as ever: upbeat, optimistic, and focused. They were drinking some tea Samuel had brought over from China and conversing about various topics.
Samuel nodded, "Very. The Shogun was opposed to the idea of letting any of his people leave the country, but he agreed to allow us to have a trading outpost like Dutch Dejima near Nagasaki. Japan is overtly cautious to us but not outright hostile."
"And through your trip, you managed to negotiate for an outpost in South Africa, establish ties with China and the Lanfang Republic, and secure our relationship with Britain," Jefferson placed down his cup gently, "It seems like the State Department is going to be a bit busier now."
"How is everything on the home front? When I checked the newspaper a few days ago, it seemed like your coalition lost seats in Congress."
Jefferson frowned, "We lost the House, but we maintained a majority in the Senate. A fifth party has emerged, bolstering the opposition and creating an interesting dynamic in Congress. I'm sure you've heard of them: the Frontier Party or "The Front." They hail from Kentucky, Iroquois, and Hisigi, representing the more western states in the Union. I never expected a white majority state to form a coalition with two Native American states, but I guess times are changing faster than we expected."
"Why did they join the opposition?"
"They believe I haven't done enough for the western states, despite my best efforts to build up infrastructure and trade in the area. They also oppose my position on the sodomy laws and believe that the Republican Party is far too radical despite our "moderate" policies. It's not a huge problem so far, Congress is still running well as intended, and the government is stable. There are civilized debates in each Congressional meeting, and the parties are not totally fractured to the point where they refuse to work with one another."
"All is well then."
"For now. It seems like there hasn't been a major incident in months, which is a relief," Jefferson sank into his chair, "If I knew this job would be this stressful, I would have just retired like Washington."
Most of Jefferson's hair was silver now, a testament to the stress-inducing role of the presidency. He looked much more tired than his past self, though he still had a fire in his eyes. Samuel tapped his shoulder lightly and smiled, "You're doing an excellent job, though, Thomas. I'm sure history will remember you kindly."
"That's what keeps me going. Now, I have a few other things to talk about with you. Chiefly speaking, it's about the military and the Asian immigrants you brought back with you."
After Samuel nodded, Jefferson continued, "The military is doing well, though I have sent out an expedition to claim that South Africa strip you acquired for the nation. They should be leaving within a month's time, and the leader of the expedition is Colonel Bonapart."
"Napoleon?" Samuel asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Nathaniel," Jefferson corrected. "He is rising fairly rapidly in the ranks, and his superiors have well noted his abilities. He does have our backing as well in the matter. We've been keeping tabs on him, and he's doing fairly well. He's currently in Norfolk along with his peers for the expedition. As for Lieutenant Jackson, he is being sent to the Mississippi Territory along with a thousand other Marines to guard the border and keep an eye out for the freedmen exiles. Units are being rotated every half a year to ensure that soldiers have time to return home and to build up combat experience. There haven't been any major skirmishes on the border, but it does happen every so often."
"I'm assuming that some Natives aren't too friendly."
Jefferson scratched his chin, "Most definitely. However, I have heard reports that a few Native Americans from the Quapaw and Osage tribes are moving into a specific part of Spanish Louisiana to break away from the Spanish and be admitted into the Union. That will be both a problem and an interesting scenario. I believe the place is where Arkansas was in the other history, though the Natives call it "Akansa."
"Have you had any luck on acquiring Spanish Louisiana?" Samuel asked.
"No. The Spanish refused to entertain the idea. To them, we're a threat to their colonial holdings. They don't want to give us more land to settle, at least not yet. They're not aggressive in their border enforcement, but that may change if American settlers spill into Spanish Louisiana."
Suddenly, the president stood up and pulled out a lengthy box from the corner, "I also wanted to speak to you about this. It's our prototype; take a look at it."
Samuel took the box from Jefferson and opened it. Inside was a long breech-loading rifle that was around 50 inches long. The rifle felt relatively light, and as the former Marine primed the rifle and entered a firing stance, he saw a small sight on the top of the rifle. "A breech-loader?"
"Our efforts were finally a success. We worked with the schematics you left behind to create this: the M1790 Lee Rifle. It was made by a designer named Jonathan Lee, a Virginian who was given funding and suggestions to work with. It can effectively fire eight rounds per minute and has an effective firing range of around 1000 meters. There are still a few problems with the seal, but they are being worked on. We're planning on ordering around 3,000 of these rifles and gradually shifting the military from muskets to rifles. It will take a decade at least, but this is a start."
"Only if the Marines had this during the Revolutionary War," Samuel said with a smile as he placed the rifle away, "It's still very impressive. Is this based on the M1819 Hall design?"
"With a few adjustments. It still suffers the same drop in velocity, but it's a work in progress."
The Korean-American handed the rifle back to Jefferson, but he rebuffed his attempt, "We have a few more prototypes sitting in a shop in Virginia. That's my gift to you. Now for the Asian immigration matters. Do you have tea farmers with any Chinese people you brought to the United States?"
"A few dozen in secret, yes." All in all, 550 Koreans and 600 Chinese immigrants returned with Kim. A few American ships in Canton that were returning to the United States were also employed by Kim to bring the immigrants back. For the time being, they were making themselves home just west of New York City and setting up their own "Koreatown/Chinatown" with Samuel's help. The government was still going through the previous occupations of the immigrant to determine the best way to allocate land/jobs to the recent arrivals. Thanks to extensive training during their journey, most of the immigrants could speak some English, though only a handful was fluent enough to strike out on their own.
"I looked through various charts and maps on your laptop, and it showed that the most suitable places to grow tea would be in the southern parts of the United States, the very southern parts. Would it be possible to move some of those immigrants to that area, especially the unsettled parts of "Alabama?"
"They'll need government support to set up settlements and farms in the area."
"Then they will receive the support they need."
"I'll see what I can do. I assume you have taken a liking to tea?"
Jefferson let out a hearty chuckle, "Most definitely. Martha has always liked tea, but I am also starting to enjoy its taste."
"You should try barley tea from Korea. The taste is unique but refreshing," Samuel said as he sipped more green tea. He had a sudden craving for milk tea and suddenly had a rush of inspiration to implement milk tea early in this world, "I just had something in mind that I need to take care of. Is there anything else you need, Thomas? Not that I didn't enjoy this conversation, but I still have to help the immigrants settle into the nation and deal with my businesses. Both will need my support."
"Ah, yes. The National Intelligence Service has informed me about the French Civil War. It's picking up, and Lafayette and his supporters are driving toward the south. The last I heard from them, they were fighting in Lyon."
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