"And those fields and properties, because many families' men have joined the Continental army, you know, women can't make decisions on these matters, they want to…" Antoine hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
At that time, the status of women was very low, the same all over the world. If a family's man was not present, it was indeed difficult to make decisions, and Charles understood this very well.
"Then let them write letters to their men, and you can move here first."
"This… we originally promised to take good care of these families, so we must wait for their decisions." Antoine hesitated, refusing.
Charles secretly shook his head. This Antoine was indecisive and not someone who could take on great responsibilities. The war was still ongoing, and if they had to wait for these families to join Scarlet Manor together, who knew how long that would take. Antoine and his group even decided to advance and retreat with these families.
He couldn't help but frown. When did North Americans become so selfless?
"Of course, Mr. Godfrey, if you are unwilling, we will not force you. If there's a meeting about reclaiming wasteland, we will attend. If you want us to support you as the Pittsburgh speaker, we will still support you." Antoine saw Charles' expression and knew he must be uncomfortable. He was a relatively honest person, and seeing his good intentions rejected, he proactively expressed his willingness to support him in other matters.
"Haha! Do you have any other conditions?" Charles asked with a smile.
"No." Antoine replied definitively.
He also felt a bit of regret internally, thinking that Mr. Godfrey probably wouldn't continue to form a self-defense force.
"Your Excellency Godfrey, please also sell us some grain. We can exchange it for cotton and tobacco." A woman, hearing Charles' question, suddenly interjected, adding to Antoine's words.
But as soon as she said this, Antoine and several old militiamen clearly looked embarrassed, while Jonathan, standing behind Charles, couldn't help but show a hint of anger on his face.
Charles showed no expression outwardly, but inwardly, he felt much more at ease because of that woman's words. It seemed these families were indeed short on grain, which made things easier. Although these women seemed to lack conviction, a woman's heart is the most changeable; as long as he seized the opportunity, he could easily win them over.
Last year's climate was average, and grain income was also average. Most families wouldn't have much surplus grain, but they shouldn't be short either. The fact that these families now needed to exchange for grain indicated that they must have had problems in some aspect.
Connecting this with their offer of cotton and tobacco for exchange, it was easy to guess: these families, after their main laborers left, continued to plant economic crops and food crops in their original proportions. As a result, they couldn't manage everything, leading to a significant drop in grain production, causing them to be short on grain even at the beginning of spring.
"You need grain? Last year's grain yield should have been good. Why are you short on grain?"
"Alas! We planted too much grain, tobacco, and cotton, but because we couldn't manage it, the final harvests were very poor. And for some reason, tobacco and cotton are very difficult to sell here in Pittsburgh, and grain is also very difficult to buy.
You are the largest landowner here and should have a lot of grain, which is why we thought of coming to you to buy it. We are willing to pay a high price, exchanging it for cotton and tobacco." The woman's answer was indeed similar to Charles' guess.
Charles smiled.
They were thinking too simply. If they had agreed to cooperate with him just now, he would definitely agree to the exchange, or even provide it for free. But now that they hadn't agreed to his terms yet still wanted his help, Charles certainly wasn't such a fool.
They were short on grain, while he had a surplus because he acquired many slaves last year, increasing grain production significantly. This opportunity could certainly be put to good use.
"Antoine, Madam, forming a self-defense force is not urgent; we can take our time. As for exchanging grain, that's not necessary. The East is at war with Britain, and we don't have a navy, so the tobacco and cotton produced in the Colonies simply cannot be sold.
Moreover, the weather here is too cold, and the quality of the tobacco produced is the worst, making it even harder to sell. It would be useless for me to exchange for it. If you are short on grain, I can lend you some for now." Charles said with a smile to the attractive white woman with very coarse body hair.
Such a long-haired ape-like woman wouldn't be seen in modern society. People back then used various depilatories and razors to keep their bodies clean. It was Charles' first time seeing such terrifying long hair, and he couldn't help but stare at her arm for a while. Thankfully, his Charlotte didn't have this; otherwise, it would be disgusting.
"How can I accept this…" The woman, instead, felt a bit embarrassed by Charles' gaze and lowered her head slightly.
"It's nothing. Grain transactions in Pittsburgh are basically controlled by my trading center, and I estimate there isn't much surplus grain elsewhere. Even if you wanted to exchange, you basically wouldn't be able to, so there's no need to be polite.
Moreover, the Colonies' grain supply is still relatively sufficient at the moment, but due to the unrest in the East, normal production and life have been disrupted, and there might be difficulties with grain. So, by then…" The more Charles spoke, the more eloquent he became.
He hadn't initially thought about grain scarcity. He only mentioned a shortage to create a sense of crisis among those present, letting them know that they could only rely on him. After speaking, he realized that his inference that North America as a whole would face a grain shortage was very reasonable.
Excluding the reduction in grain production due to a decrease in labor, the large consumption of grain by the war alone would cause grain prices to rise. In reality, there would also be disruptions to normal training in combat zones, damage to crops in the fields, and so on. In short, once the American-British war began in North America, the eight years of fighting would certainly lead to grain scarcity and rising grain prices.
"Jonathan, since our friends are short on grain, we can no longer sell grain indiscriminately. You must quickly send someone to notify Greenspan to stop… uh, no! Stopping grain sales would cause adverse effects. It's better to have him appropriately raise grain prices and reduce the supply to avoid a future shortage." Charles quickly turned and instructed Jonathan.
His voice was neither too soft nor too loud, just right to reach the ears of the other people present.
They were all immediately touched by Charles' righteousness, but thinking of the potential large-scale grain shortage in the future, they couldn't help but show fear.
They had all experienced the hardship of grain shortages for several days, so they understood the difficulties of lacking grain particularly well. They felt that if it was only for a short time, they could endure it, but if the grain supply was cut off for a long time, then life would become unbearable. Several white women had already begun to whisper:
"Does that mean we'll be short on grain even next year?"
"What are we going to do about this!"
"We don't have men in charge at home."
Even Antoine and others, whose families also didn't have sufficient grain, were somewhat afraid of a potential grain famine.
"Your Excellency, if there really is a grain shortage this year, how will everyone's grain problem be solved? If grain prices are high, people still won't be able to afford grain." old Sherman asked.
"I don't know what others should do; after all, my abilities are limited. However, I can continue to help with your grain." Charles spread his hands helplessly.
These words deeply moved the old militiamen and the white women, but they didn't know that Charles had plenty of grain. Raising prices was entirely for hoarding, to sell at a high price later when everyone realized grain was scarce.
As for publicly offering to lend them grain, it was purely to curry favor with them. After all, by lending it bit by bit, he could stop supplying grain whenever he wanted, and then they would have no other choice but to obey.
"Sir Godfrey, this won't do. We can't harm your interests and the interests of others just for ourselves," Antoine quickly stood up to object.
"You are truly a great man!"
"We can't just take it for nothing. What if your own food runs out?"
"..."
The old militiamen were fine, but the young men who came with the white women were now burning with emotion. These were the ages most easily swayed and most likely to develop admiration for someone. Seeing Charles' actions, they immediately took Charles as their idol.
"Haha! Everyone, don't worry, I still have a lot of food. However, I'm afraid some people might realize that food will be scarce in the future and intentionally buy and hoard it now, causing inconvenience to everyone's lives. That's why I have to reduce the supply," Charles added.
He saw their reactions and knew that they would definitely fall into his hands this time. In order not to let them discover that he had intentionally concealed the amount of food after joining Scarlet Manor, he changed his explanation.
If these things were deduced by the militia families themselves, it would indeed create a bad impression of Charles' actions. But Charles' performance just now was too good, giving them a preconceived impression that Charles acted very selflessly. So even though Charles said this now, they instead felt that Charles was thoughtful in his actions and did not suspect his other motives.
"Why don't we move to Scarlet Manor? Anyway, we can't grow much at home, and it's a waste of effort. We might as well help here," a white woman suggested first.
"Great! I also think we can move. The issues of land and housing can also be resolved together. Our men are currently somewhere unknown, so let's make our own decisions," others immediately responded.
"Good, I agree too."
It was the white women who were the first to express their opinions.
They were all homemakers who had to care for their children and families, and they were the first to experience the pain of food shortages. Although their current willingness to come to Scarlet Manor was a repayment for Charles' generous loan of food, inwardly, it was more out of fear of hunger, hoping that after arriving at Scarlet Manor, they would no longer have to live the hard life they once did.
After the women's unanimous and firm declarations, the old militiamen, who already believed they should move to Scarlet Manor, naturally had no objections and immediately reached an agreement with Charles.
The final result was that the militia families, knowing the current value of food and not having much cash to pay, ultimately decided that each family would value their land and incorporate it into Charles' Scarlet Manor, mainly converting it into food.
The sincere expressions on their faces at the time made the internally scheming Charles feel a bit ashamed. However, thinking that their land was originally obtained from killing natives, and he wasn't taking it from them for free, he felt relieved.
Although the militiamen firmly requested a reduction in the land price, Charles still calculated it slightly higher than the market price, while the food was still calculated at the current price, which moved those families once again.
With the land issue resolved, these affiliated militia families only needed to gradually relocate. Coincidentally, there were carpenters and masons among the slaves, so Charles immediately ordered them to build a cluster of houses near Scarlet Manor to provide for these twenty or so militia families. The manpower was naturally the idle slaves, and the materials basically came from his own properties, so it wouldn't cost much money.
Now that the militia resettlement issue was resolved, and there were no major legal problems, this land truly belonged to Charles.
Everything arranged, Charles immediately set off, taking the men who could represent each family, and returned to Pittsburgh.
Because a citizen's meeting was to be held, Pittsburgh suddenly became much livelier these days. There were originally over a hundred residents in the fort, but now the total number suddenly exceeded two hundred.
Many pioneers who temporarily came to attend the meeting took the opportunity to purchase some necessary supplies in Pittsburgh, which immediately delighted the few merchants in Pittsburgh.
However, Pittsburgh didn't have many shops selling things in total. Besides the essential taverns, and Charles' food and slave trading center, there were only a blacksmith shop and a general store left. The blacksmith shop was the storefront for Hans' iron smelting workshop, and the general store was the storefront for the glass workshop.
Charles first asked Greenspan about his canvassing efforts and learned that six of the households with long-term procurement contracts with the trading center had already expressed absolute support, and they were now living in the trading center, so there was basically no doubt. In addition, several others with good relations with the Godfrey family had also verbally promised to support Charles.
Moreover, he had been promoting Charles in the tavern for two consecutive nights, telling people that Charles was a pure english Protestant, who had just returned from studying in France, specializing in artillery command, and came from an aristocratic family, growing up in the 13 Colonies, yet had received a good education, and was also a very excellent poet.
North America was a very strange place. It advocated freedom and disliked traditional constraints, but it also had many traditional customs, which the entire nation diligently followed without complaint.
There were Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and people of various other faiths living in North America. However, because the Mayflower, which first founded the 13 Colonies, had members who were extreme Puritans, the belief in Puritans, or rather, Protestant Christians, as the highest leaders of the country, became a default tradition in America.
From the first President Washington to George W. Bush in the twenty-first century, with the exception of John Adams, a Catholic, other presidents basically believed in Protestantism. So in this place dominated by Protestants, if Charles' religious beliefs as a French student were not made clear, many people would guess that he believed in Catholicism, which would adversely affect his election.
At the same time, the upper-class families in the Colonies at that time were accustomed to sending their children back to Europe for schooling. This was the case before there were universities in North America, and it remained so after there were universities. However, due to the limited educational level in North America itself, most only attended ordinary schools for their studies.
For the same pursuit of education, graduating from a prestigious school like French Artillery Academy would, of course, command more respect from others. In Pittsburgh, where most people were commoners, and even those who graduated from regular schools in North America were rare, Charles' academic background and status indeed made him the most learned and cultivated person there.
In fact, America's first President Washington, given his family's status and financial resources at the time, could have easily gone to Europe for studies and should have done so, but ultimately did not due to various reasons. As a result, Washington lacked training in academic and theoretical aspects, which he later considered a lifelong regret.
After hearing Greenspan's reminder, Charles realized he had overlooked something. Although he had also pretended to pray like those around him before meals, he had obviously neglected the habits of a believer in daily life, for example, not visiting the small church in the fort during his last visit to Pittsburgh.
He quickly rushed there to pray for a while and also made a confession to the priest. He reminded himself that he must insist on going to church regularly in the future, as this was a necessary prerequisite for a good life.
When he returned to the trading center, someone was already waiting at home.
"Good afternoon! sir Godfrey!" The visitor, dressed in a very neat suit, was the only official in Pittsburgh, tax officer and notary Patrick.
"Oh! Mr. Patrick! Good afternoon!" Charles was surprised by his sudden solo visit.
"Sir Godfrey, the citizen's meeting to vote on your proposal will be held tomorrow. Are you ready?" Patrick asked with great meaning.
"Oh, does that require any preparation? The proposal has already been drafted."
"But there's also an election? Aren't you going to prepare at all? What if you don't get elected?"
"Ha! This is about seeking rights for everyone. If everyone elects me, I am willing to take it on. But if everyone disagrees, I don't have to force myself to take it on, do I? After all, going to the Continental Congress could very likely get me labeled as a member of the Independence Party by the British, which would be very dangerous," Charles said with an indifferent smile.
"Is that so? I heard Greenspan has been talking about your life and academic background in the tavern for the past two days. I thought he was campaigning for your election," Patrick said bluntly.
"Is Greenspan promoting me? Alas! These people always hope their master or Boss becomes an official, so they can be more impressive when they go out, completely disregarding their master's personal safety," Charles lied without batting an eye.
"Uh..." Patrick was speechless.
Seeing Charles still completely unhurried, he finally couldn't help but reveal the true purpose of his conversation.
"Sir Godfrey, let's be direct. You know that what happened that night was something you and I started together. You might suspect that I want to snatch that representative position, but I can be frank, my goal is absolutely not that position. If you are willing, I can even mobilize my friends to support you. But in exchange, you must also support me."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Charles then became serious.
He secretly complained in his heart: Why didn't you say so earlier? I thought you also wanted to be this representative, which is why I deliberately gave you a hard time. Now there's no problem at all.