After Charles finished dealing with matters in Pittsburgh, he prepared to go and attend James' wedding.
However, although he claimed not to fear the British army, he was still a little worried that the British army might suddenly attack Philadelphia. So, to be on the safe side, he had the armory urgently produce a batch of secret weapons and sent them to Philadelphia as a precaution.
This trip to Philadelphia was different from the previous ones. Charles was bringing Jonathan and others to represent the Godfrey Family at the marriage alliance with the Bonis family.
Therefore, everyone's attire had to be changed, and even the carriages had to be refurbished. With various wedding gifts, it was an incredibly grand affair. Charles had decided to treat James' wedding as the wedding of an official member of his own family.
This decision not only deeply moved Jonathan but also caused a surge in loyalty among other family members like Jonathan and Greenspan.
On the second day after Christmas in 1776, Charles and a group of dozens of people arrived at the Diana family's castle in Philadelphia.
Although they rushed, traveling in winter was not as fast as usual, and they ultimately missed Christmas Eve.
However, most people in Philadelphia, and indeed throughout America, did not have a happy Christmas Eve that year.
With the front lines severely strained and the army already retreated into Pennsylvania, most people in the Thirteen American Colonies, except for Pittsburgh under Charles' rule, were busy with various preparations to support Washington's Continental army.
Meanwhile, the British army commander, General Howe, was resting and waiting in New York. As soon as his main force could cross the river on ice, he planned to personally lead his army directly to Philadelphia, the temporary capital of the American side.
The winter of 1776 was exceptionally long and cold. The Continental army not only endured psychological burdens but also suffered from the hardships brought by the severe cold.
The troops had just been defeated and retreated to Pennsylvania. Many military supplies were lost. Although the Continental Congress urgently replenished a batch, all supplies were still scarce. There were no tents or blankets, no warm clothes or shoes and socks; many soldiers were still wearing the single summer uniforms they had been issued, walking barefoot.
Typhoid fever and pneumonia were rampant in the barracks, and malnutrition coupled with a lack of medicine and medical care left the sick and wounded struggling on the brink of death.
Initially, the Military and Ordnance Committee, with Charles' support, had approved the distribution of many medicines, but with the army's disastrous defeat, the medicines were essentially lost and depleted.
Since Charles was not in Philadelphia, everyone was busy seeking other help, and no one thought to provide more medicine to the Continental army. More and more Continental army soldiers deserted, and some officers were grumbling, becoming disloyal and opposing Washington. The troops suffered heavy casualties, leaving only five thousand men.
Some British newspapers predicted that Washington's army would soon "collapse."
However, Washington proved to be an outstanding leader; he did not yield or despair. In adversity, he displayed his extraordinary tenacity and leadership abilities, adopting every possible measure to resolve material supply issues, including "requisitioning."
In mid-December, the Continental Congress rejected a motion of no confidence proposed by some representatives. It reconfirmed Washington's full authority to command the war, enabling him to regain full command of the fighting during this extraordinary period.
In addition to the lack of weapons and supplies, Washington acutely realized that the troops needed to be armed with noble patriotic ideals and a spirit of dedication. He thought of Thomas Paine, the author of "common sense."
Back then, how many people were greatly inspired by his pamphlet, and thus firmly rallied under the banner of national independence. Paine had already laid down his pen and joined the Continental army, serving successively as secretary and aide-de-camp. Now was a good time to ask him to wield his pen and write some propaganda and motivational materials for the struggling Continental army.
Paine understood Washington's intention and immediately set about writing. Every night at camp, under the dim light, he used a drum as a desk and wrote furiously until late at night. On December 19th, the first article was completed, titled "The American Crisis."
This article, like "common sense," used simple, clear, and rhythmic language to convey the most basic truths to the public. He encouraged people not to be intimidated by temporary setbacks, for history had bestowed upon them the most glorious mission and the highest honor.
Washington issued an order: before battle, "The American Crisis" must be read aloud at mobilization meetings. From then on, Continental army soldiers always charged into enemy lines, shouting the slogan from the book, "These are the times that try men's souls," amidst the smoke and bullets.
This slogan greatly boosted morale, accompanying America's war of Independence from setbacks to victory.
In the more than four months since the great retreat from Long Island, the Continental army had suffered continuous defeats, casting a thick shadow over people's hearts. Since the troops crossed the Delaware River, the two armies had faced each other across the river for over half a month without conflict, allowing the soldiers some much-needed rest. In mid-December, Colonel John Cadwalader led a contingent of Philadelphia volunteers to reinforce, bringing in fresh blood.
On December 20th, Sullivan reported back here with the remnants of General Lee's troops, increasing the total strength to nearly six thousand men. The entire army read Paine's "The American Crisis," and morale was revived. The soldiers unanimously demanded to go into battle, to avenge their fallen comrades.
However, every time the soldiers on the front lines fought bravely, there was always a group behind them drinking and reveling.
Just as Washington was planning a counterattack against the British army, Charles was holding a wine glass, drinking and discussing with James and other guests.
The wedding gift Charles gave James this time was a house in Philadelphia and one thousand acres of land in Ohio. Others, like old Butler Jonathan, countess Diana, and so on, also presented valuable gifts. Even families in Philadelphia with good relations with the Godfrey Family, such as the Biddle family and Councilor Morris, sent gifts, and Charles took the opportunity of their gift-giving to invite them to stay and talk.
At this time, the people of Philadelphia could say that they truly realized for the first time that the British army could attack her directly. So, at this critical moment, Charles, the "Conqueror of the Iroquois," arriving in Philadelphia immediately made the Continental Congress and many others feel that this was a hope, that Charles would firmly stand with Philadelphia, and that he was someone trustworthy.
However, many of them knew that Charles was merely here to attend his secret wedding.
But when the Continental Congress immediately sent envoys to invite Charles to a meeting, Charles declined to attend that day, citing travel fatigue and a need for rest.
Many people understood Charles' intention and visited the new lord of Ohio and the de facto ruler of Pittsburgh that evening.
"Charles, first of all, I must congratulate your family and the Bonis family on your marriage alliance!"
Several political partners and business associates sat in a circle with Charles. There were too many people coming to congratulate and network, and the entire living room of the castle was almost full. Everyone had to exchange pleasantries first to adjust the atmosphere.
"Haha! Thank you all for your congratulations." Charles raised his wine glass in thanks.
Charles understood the thoughts and situations of these people very well. Those Continental Congress Representatives hoped that he would come forward as soon as possible to lead Philadelphia's resistance efforts; and those who came to him were not just for congratulations. They basically all intended to move their family businesses to Pittsburgh. It could be said that no one was simply there to congratulate James.
With the arrival of the Louisiana envoy in Philadelphia, it was now unquestionable that Pittsburgh would become a transportation hub connecting the central and eastern parts of the American continent after the Pennsylvania Canal was built. Philadelphia, on the other hand, was facing the calamity of war. These people naturally first thought of relocating to Pittsburgh. And seeking help from Charles, the de facto ruler of Pittsburgh, was a necessary step.
"By the way, Councilor Godfrey, I heard you've planned many industrial and commercial zones in Pittsburgh. Can we invest there? Hehe, the land in Pittsburgh is almost sold out now, and the prices are so high we can't afford it, so we all want to invest in industrial and commercial enterprises." A big, fat merchant who came with old Biddle blurted out the question first.
"Haha! Pittsburgh welcomes all investors, but I must remind everyone that Pittsburgh is not a paradise. It is currently very short on food and population, so everyone must make all sorts of preparations first, lest your businesses cannot operate then you come to blame me, the introducer!" Charles gave a preemptive warning.
He was telling these people in advance that Pittsburgh's greatest lack was infrastructure. After they arrived there, they would not only quickly adapt to that environment, but some smart people would also seize this opportunity to move as many people as possible to Pittsburgh, sell food for profit, and Charles could even foresee that some would specially build various infrastructure facilities in Pittsburgh to rent out. This way, the biggest constraint on Pittsburgh's rapid development would automatically be eliminated.
Although it was also a very large profit, Charles had not thought of personally managing them. He had plenty of high-profit investment projects and not that much spare money to spend on this aspect. The most crucial reason was that these were labor-intensive and management-intensive industries, and he did not have the manpower to manage them.
"Hahaha! How could we blame someone like you, who cares about our development? Once in Pittsburgh, we will still have to rely on your care, Councilor." These people said flatteringly.
This was originally a fact, and even if it was just pleasantries, they were happy to say it.
"Haha! Care? Alas, before I came to Philadelphia this time, if I hadn't been careful, some of my authority to oversee Pittsburgh would have almost been taken away." Charles said with a sigh.
As he sighed softly, his eyes swept across the faces of several key political figures, and he found that they all had bewildered expressions, which basically confirmed that they were not involved in Adams' troop deployment incident.
"Who dares to take away your authority, Your Excellency? How could they think that? Your Excellency is a Continental Congress Representative, a true Western Conqueror, and the pillar guaranteeing our Western security!" All the guests looked curious and concerned.
Seeing Charles' expression just now, they knew that the attempted power grab had not succeeded, but they were not stingy in expressing their concern.
Charles showed a wry smile, clearly a bit unwilling to speak.
"Alas! Never mind, this is an internal matter of our Continental Congress. Speaking of it would only invite ridicule, so I won't say more."
"It was someone from within The Continental Congresswho tried to move against Your Excellency?" At this, everyone's reactions varied.
Charles' influence in the Continental Congress now was comparable to that of Franklin and Jefferson, perhaps slightly less, but definitely above everyone else. To be capable of a power grab against Charles, one would at least have to be at the same level as Charles.
These merchants or councilors present were all very shrewd. Some still wanted to keep part of their businesses in Philadelphia and did not want to get involved in the struggles between Charles and other powerful figures, so their faces only showed concern, without any determination to step forward and help.
However, some were different. They had already decided to completely abandon their businesses in Philadelphia and move all their capital to Pittsburgh. Their future hopes were entirely placed on Charles, this powerful figure.
If they didn't seize this opportunity to express their loyalty, when would they? As for the possible retaliation from Charles' opponent, that could wait until he first took away Charles' power in Pittsburgh.
These people all spoke indignantly:
"No matter who he is, at such a critical moment for the nation, to still be thinking of seizing power from our own people, such a person should be purged from the Continental Congress!"
"Yes, we cannot let these people who only care about power and profit continue to stand on the stage."
Although those who expressed opinions were only some merchants or ordinary politicians, and no heavyweights spoke, Charles was already very satisfied with their performance. Because Continental Congress Representatives like Morris had also noticed their stance.
Everyone sitting in the castle's living room was a person of considerable influence, and regarding matters where public sentiment was aligned, all Continental Congress Representatives had to treat it cautiously.
All the Continental Congress Representatives understood that, with such widespread indignation, if Charles were to be appeased and compensated, it was very likely that these future Pittsburgh residents would feel their interests were not being taken seriously.
Moreover, as influential representatives, they themselves were very concerned about someone trying to usurp Charles' rights. Charles' influence was already above theirs, and yet someone dared to usurp his rights. How then could these ordinary Continental Congress Representatives safeguard their own rights?
So, a few representatives exchanged opinions, and Morris questioned Charles:
"Councilor Charles, who exactly dared to infringe upon your rights? No matter who this person is, as long as he indeed did so, we absolutely cannot tolerate it!"
"Alas..." Charles sighed deeply.
He chose not to answer, but instead directly took out Adams' order, handed it to Morris, and let them read it themselves.
Seeing the signature at the very end, the expressions of Morris and the others changed.
Although they knew that anyone who dared to move against Charles would certainly not be an ordinary person, they were still startled to see that it was Adams, one of the three giants of the Continental Congress.
Adams' prestige was far stronger than his ability, and most people had great faith in him. It would be very difficult for them to suddenly withdraw their support. When these people saw that the one who acted against Charles was Adams, a figure of extremely high prestige, even if they still inwardly supported Charles, they no longer dared to step forward and strongly condemn the usurper.
Many others, upon seeing this letter, even became somewhat suspicious of Charles' words. Charles' position primarily came from his strength, while Adams' came from long-standing prestige. They could choose to submit to Charles, but they were more willing to believe Adams. However, out of fear of Charles' strength, they dared not say anything.
Charles took in the expressions of all these people, feeling a great deal of frustration. He felt that although he hadn't given everyone tangible benefits, he had always dedicated himself to the affairs of the Continental Congress, putting in hard work even if not always achieving merit. Now, it was very clear that Adams was infringing upon his rights, yet these people, after seeing the evidence, completely dared not express their support.
This made Charles feel that everything he had done for the Continental Congress before was in vain, and that he absolutely should not trust these people. Not only were they not his "compatriots," they couldn't even be considered basic friends.
He merely watched everyone's subsequent reactions with a cold gaze, not opening his mouth to force them to take a stance.
By the time everyone had finished reading the order, except for those few who were genuinely preparing to move all their industries to Pittsburgh and were determined to make a living under Charles, who still demanded that Adams must give Charles an explanation, everyone else basically chose silence.
Finally, Morris spoke on behalf of everyone:
"Councilor Charles, I believe Mr. Adams' order might have been due to urgent circumstances. He did not intend to usurp your rights. This order also does not..."
"Councilor Morris, you may not know, but this order bypassed me and was issued directly to Major Sullivan, the Deputy Commander of the Pittsburgh Militia. Moreover, no matter what, the Continental Congress has never had the authority to bypass state governments and directly issue orders to state officials or mobilize militias. Such a blatant act of usurpation is a trampling of the Articles of Confederation and an infringement on the spirit of democracy!" Charles coldly interrupted Morris.
Morris was someone with whom he had a relatively good relationship, someone allied with him through the canal and Pittsburgh, yet he was defending Adams in such a way. Charles was particularly angry internally, so his voice was cold when he spoke, making Morris quite awkward.
"Haha! Councilor Charles, our situation in Philadelphia is critical right now. Calling upon the army is also for..."
"You say it was an unavoidable action due to a critical situation? No! sir, this document was issued shortly after I left Philadelphia last time. The situation back then was quite different from now." Charles interrupted that person again.
The entire hall fell silent.
Everyone was a bit unsure how to express themselves. Some even regretted attending this welcome ceremony today, fearing that if they were accidentally labeled as an opposition by Adams' faction, things might become very troublesome in the future.
"Gentlemen, you might not know, but I had originally formulated a detailed plan for Major Sullivan to execute properly, which could have captured the entire Ohio area. Now, because of a reckless order from Mr. Adams, Sullivan was recalled prematurely, only securing the Ohio River basin, with most of the southern parts still controlled by the British. Alas! What a pity!"
"Ah! Your army actually captured the entire Ohio River basin!" Morris and the others exclaimed in surprise.
Although there had been continuous news earlier about the Pittsburgh Western Expeditionary Force capturing this town and that town, communication was inconvenient. Additionally, Charles intentionally wanted to personally report the news of victory to the Continental Congress again, so everyone was not particularly clear about the specific achievements of the Western Expeditionary Force. Now, hearing Charles say that the Ohio River basin had been captured, everyone understood the true situation.
However, after understanding the truth, they immediately held Charles and the Western Expeditionary Force in great admiration. At this time, although the Ohio area did not have a large population, its area was almost equal to the sum of the Thirteen American Colonies. No matter who it was, capturing such a large piece of land deserved their admiration.
Those who had long expected Charles to lead the Continental Congress' military efforts were even more convinced, upon seeing Charles' latest achievements, that America could only defeat the British army under Charles' leadership. Even Morris and the other Continental Congress Representatives strongly felt that only an outstanding military leader like Charles could effectively lead Philadelphia and resist a possible British army attack.
"Alas... this." Morris also felt very sad, sensing that Adams had indeed made a mistake. But he still chose to defend Adams: "In such a time of national crisis, I believe Mr. Adams would not intentionally do something that harms the interests of all our people. Perhaps there was an error in the transmission of the order. I believe Mr. Adams will certainly apologize to you once he knows about this!"
The so-called infringement of someone's rights actually depends mainly on the identity of the victim. America has always been a society that values strength. If this order had been issued to someone without strength, they would naturally have to accept their misfortune and meekly submit to the usurpation. Even if others disliked such a situation, they would not offend another powerful figure for someone who had already been stripped of power. However, since the target now was Charles, a person who himself rose to power through immense strength, the matter was naturally not so easily accepted.
—
Morris had even made up his mind that upon returning, he must unite with other bigwigs of the Continental Congress to have Adams shift the blame to the messenger, and then apologize to Charles to gain his understanding. At the same time, most importantly, with Franklin currently absent, they should appoint Charles to lead all Philadelphia affairs, organize resistance forces, and prevent a surprise attack on Philadelphia by the British army.
In his view, Charles bringing up the usurpation of power was primarily to teach Adams a lesson. As long as Adams was willing to swallow his pride and apologize, Charles should not make things difficult for him again.
After all, both parties were the most influential representatives in the Continental Congress. If they were to truly fall out, the entire Continental Congress might face division. Such a result was something no insightful representative wanted to see, and Charles was certainly not an ignorant person.
Charles did not express approval or disapproval of Morris' explanation.
He merely said indifferently:
"If this matter was indeed a mistake, then so be it. After all, Mr. Adams is the Chairman of the Military and Ordnance Committee, and sometimes mistakes are unavoidable. Now he still has to lead everyone to deal with the British army that might attack Philadelphia, and he is indispensable at this time."
"Haha, sir, for you to be so magnanimous is truly a blessing for The Continental Congress and all the people of America." Morris laughed heartily.
But then his smile slowly faded. This Councilor Charles, while saying it was fine, clearly had a dissatisfied expression. What did that mean?
Charles did not allow Morris to ask further questions, naturally shifting the topic to other matters.
He had already made up his mind: he could choose not to pursue Adams' responsibility, but Adams absolutely could not continue as the Chairman of the Military and Ordnance Committee. Although this committee theoretically did not have the power to command the army, if he were to issue another transfer order to his army like last time, the army's commanders would certainly be willing to obey. Such an unstable factor posed too great a threat to him. Even if he couldn't replace him, Adams, who disliked him, had to step down.
At the same time, Charles was also filled with resentment towards Morris and the other representatives. They were all Continental Congress Representatives, and influential figures among them, so why, when it was clearly Adams infringing on his rights, did they stand on his side and speak for him? Why did he have to suffer the injustice?
Feeling dejected, Charles decided to teach the Continental Congress a lesson.
Although the many people who came to offer gifts experienced several awkward silences in the castle and dared not openly support Charles, when they finally left, each of them was smiling happily. At least on the surface, everyone supported Charles.
However, after many people left that night, they immediately contacted their respective allies overnight to discuss the conflict between Adams and Charles. Many stayed up all night, beginning to choose their stance in this struggle.
Philadelphia, before the new year, did not quiet down because of the wind and snow.
The next day, Charles still did not attend the Continental Congress at Independence Hall.
However, the proposal put forward by Morris regarding the appointment of Charles to preside over Philadelphia affairs and take full responsibility for resisting a possible British army invasion received verbal approval from the vast majority of representatives.
With the achievement of Charles' objective of conquering the Ohio area, the vast majority of representatives had become fully convinced of Charles' military strategic capabilities, believing that in such a critical situation, only Charles leading Philadelphia could guarantee the city's protection from British army infringement. Even Adams, who disliked Charles, verbally acknowledged this point.
Unfortunately, Charles, the main character of the motion, did not attend the meeting, so it could not be officially passed yet.
When President of the Continental Congress Hancock sent someone to invite Charles in the afternoon, Charles reluctantly sent his representative—his secretary, James—to report to Independence Hall.
He claimed that he had caught a cold on the way and was unable to perform his duties, asking his secretary to temporarily act as his proxy for voting rights. As for leading Philadelphia, that was something he dared not even imagine.
Everyone saw him entertaining guests in the living room perfectly well last night, and today he claimed to have caught a cold on the way? Who would believe that?
However, even if they didn't believe it, there was nothing they could do. Everyone kNew York was feigning illness, but now that they needed him, even knowing he was faking it, they couldn't do anything to him. Adams, however, immediately proposed in the meeting to revoke Charles' Continental Congress Representative status, but this proposal was overwhelmingly rejected.
Revoking his representative status? He wasn't even willing to accept the position of leading Philadelphia now; would he care about this representative status? It was Philadelphia that was in danger, and the large group of people staying in Philadelphia, not Charles Godfrey.
If the British army attacked Philadelphia, he could simply pack up and run to Pittsburgh. That place was far from the battlefield and its economy was developing rapidly; it was definitely much better than the current situation in Philadelphia.
Even if these eastern cities like Philadelphia were occupied, Charles, relying on the Appalachian Mountains, could completely resist the British army for a long time and prevent them from attacking Pittsburgh.
However, Philadelphia could not do without Charles. Not only was his military leadership considered paramount within the current Continental Congress, but most crucially, he also controlled finance and steel.
If they New York was dissatisfied and still didn't satisfy him, he could simply cut off loans to the Continental Congress and stop supplying weapons to the Continental army, making the war of Independence infinitely more difficult. And for a defensive battle like in Philadelphia, everyone understood that without sufficient steel and financial guarantees, victory would be impossible.