It was a long-prepared banquet by Charles, and Butler Jonathan spared no effort to cooperate in order to highlight Charles' prestige.
Precious wines, numerous entertainment options, and various luxurious decorations truly allowed the guests to experience the wealth and power of Pittsburgh's most influential figure.
What many people anticipated most was that Charles was still an unmarried young man, a diamond-level marriage prospect for young women.
So, even though it was clear that countess Diana, walking hand-in-hand with Charles, definitely had an unusual relationship with him, many young women in the throes of first love, or noblewomen hoping their daughters would catch Charles' eye, still flocked around Charles, the handsome young man.
This forced Charles, who had planned to use this opportunity to converse with Pittsburgh's wealthy and respectable figures, to temporarily deal with these difficult women.
Realizing that Charles might be snatched away, countess Diana was very strong, always holding Charles' arm tightly, leaning against him with a happy expression.
She didn't speak much to the other young ladies, only responding with 'En' and 'Ah' a few times, and greeting them with a slight, shallow smile, giving them no reason to target her, and making it awkward for them to openly flirt with Charles in front of her.
However, the noblewomen who were hostile towards her completely disregarded Diana's expression and often spoke to Charles with coquettish laughter.
"Having enjoyed Your Excellency's hospitality today, our family is also planning a New Year's ball in a few days.
I wonder if we would have the honor of inviting your presence." Such an invitation was a relatively subtle expression, and their family's standing was certainly not ordinary.
They were too embarrassed to lower themselves and actively promote their daughters, so they did not directly mention them.
They clearly wanted to establish a good relationship with Charles first.
For such noblewomen, Charles knew he should appropriately maintain a good relationship, usually smiling and saying:
"A New Year's ball? Oh, I'm planning to host one too!"
Upon hearing this, people's reactions varied.
Some knew it was a refusal and were too embarrassed to press further, while others were unwilling to give up and pretended not to understand, asking:
"Then may we have the honor of attending? The invitations for this banquet were too few, and it's a pity I couldn't bring my daughter."
For such elegantly persistent individuals, Charles generally had no choice but to promise to invite them again next time.
However, the United States, after all, is not a country with as deep a high-society heritage as Europe, and not everyone is so subtle when trying to land a rich husband; some are very direct.
"Mr. Godfrey, a strange flower in our garden has suddenly bloomed in winter.
Are you interested in seeing it? Hehe.
I can have my beautiful daughter accompany you to admire it!"
Some noblewomen, while promoting their daughters, also didn't forget to give Charles a flirtatious look, subtly promoting themselves.
The more direct ones were practically saying, 'I can let my daughter spend the night with you.'
Charles usually responded to such overtures with a smile, pretending not to hear.
Anyway, there were many people surrounding him, and with so many voices, it was normal for him to "not hear."
In the past, when he didn't have a female companion, he eagerly hoped for such opportunities for "deeper interaction," but now that he had a partner, and the ones seeking "deeper interaction" were such a large group of women with varying appearances, he naturally felt a bit fearful and found it hard to accept.
Diana, very obediently, did not interrupt the actions of these noblewomen, only holding Charles' hand even tighter.
Charles, understanding, patted Diana's small hand and indicated with his eyes that she was, and always would be, his only love.
Diana, very familiar with Charles' gaze, naturally understood his meaning and immediately returned a sweet smile, leaning even closer to Charles.
With such a lovely companion for life, Charles had essentially no other desires regarding women.
He finally spoke a few gentle but firm words, excusing himself from the ladies and noblewomen surrounding him, and went to join the city leaders of Pittsburgh.
"Hahahaha! Charles! You certainly have a way with women, surrounded by such a large group of beautiful ladies.
How was it? After talking with them for so long, have you made any arrangements?" Hans, with his red nose, greeted Charles lewdly.
With Diana still by his side, Charles naturally couldn't comment on that question.
He simply ignored Hans' sarcastic joke and merely smiled, patting Diana's arm.
Diana understood and indicated that she would go entertain the noblewomen and young ladies she knew, leaving Charles to chat with Patrick and the others.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to glare at Hans in dissatisfaction, which only made Hans burst into laughter.
"Alright! Hans, if you don't babble, no one will think you're mute!" Charles said, annoyed at Hans.
The group moved to a secluded corner, and Charles turned sideways, loosening his collar with his hand.
Talking to those ladies and noblewomen just now was more terrifying than negotiating with the British army's commander-in-chief; he still felt a sweat breaking out.
"Hahahaha! Charles, you've simply had too little experience with such scenes.
Wait two or three more years, after a few more banquets like this, you'll surely be chatting and laughing among those young ladies, easily arranging intimate dates!" Hans continued to mock Charles, refusing to shut up.
Charles shook his head helplessly.
It wasn't that he hadn't attended balls and banquets before; it was just that he used to be a small tour guide, so how could so many beautiful women simultaneously surround him and talk?
At least he hadn't lost his nerve just now; if it were a novice, just looking at that sea of white bosoms would be enough to make him dizzy.
"Charles! Welcome back to Pittsburgh! You must have some new plans this time, right?" Mayor Patrick smiled, raised his glass, and changed the subject.
"That's right! Charles, do you have any good ideas for making money recently? I'll definitely follow you again.
Charles, my friend, you can't forget us old partners when there's good business, can you?" Hans also became animated upon hearing this.
"Hmph!" Charles snorted coldly, ignoring Hans' embarrassed expression, and directly said to Mayor Patrick: "This return is mainly to resolve the Ohio issue.
I believe that after a year of self-governance in the Ohio area, it's time to formally incorporate them into Pittsburgh, or rather, to establish a joint government of Pittsburgh and Ohio!"
The Ohio area had previously operated under Charles' orders, with each village and town governing itself, and no higher-level government.
However, with the establishment of its status as a major industrial and commercial center, the demand for markets and resources grew increasingly.
As the closest market for goods sales and source of resources, and also the connection to Louisiana, it was imperative to manage it at a higher and more effective level.
This time, Charles was preparing for a joint government, which would at least be a government ruling the entire Ohio area.
"A joint government of Pittsburgh and Ohio? You mean..." Patrick looked at Charles, puzzled.
Hans, who was next to him, was already impatient and spoke directly:
"Good! It's time we annexed Ohio.
The people in those areas have already accepted our rule from Pittsburgh.
There's no lack of cooperation in terms of taxes and management.
The wealthy people from several towns all have houses in Pittsburgh; the big factory owners all want to list on the stock exchange.
Now is the perfect time to annex them and establish our Western Joint Government; they definitely won't object!"
Police Chief Antoine and the Militia Commander also nodded in agreement.
Those were the lands they had conquered, a testament to their achievements in Pittsburgh, and they had always been very concerned about the situation in Ohio.
They knew the situation was indeed as Hans had described.
Although Hans appeared reckless, the people around him today were all those with whom he had deep contact, and they naturally knew that he liked to use recklessness to conceal his shrewdness.
They were not surprised by his words.
—
Charles' chief financial officer, Greenspan, also nodded in agreement:
"Those Ohioans are essentially no different from us.
Except for a few French-speaking towns, the other people have never considered themselves independent Ohioans.
The largest settlement in all of Ohio is a small town of a thousand people; there isn't even a proper city.
Now, with us, Pittsburgh, the largest city in the Midwest, proposing to form a joint government, the difficulty is indeed not great.
However, under what name should we form this government?"
Now, the others fell silent, all looking at Charles, the chief decision-maker, with expectant eyes, wanting to hear his decision.
"The name for this government is quite difficult.
When we first took over the Ohio area, the Continental Congress only allowed us, Pittsburgh, to manage it.
And because Ohio was sparsely populated, even if a government were established, it couldn't be managed effectively, so I allowed each village and town to govern themselves.
Now, due to increasing contact with Louisiana and other places, a higher-level government must be established for management.
However, what name to give this government is indeed worth considering!" Charles did not immediately state his position but looked at the others, wanting to hear their opinions first.
"What's there to consider? Of course, it's the Western Joint Government!
Let's call it the United States Western Joint Government." Hans said casually.
Perhaps he was so accustomed to feigning recklessness that he couldn't change his tone of voice, even in front of his own people.
"Hehe! The United States Western Joint Government?
Currently, the Eastern Thirteen States have only established the United States, without a unified central government; each state has only established an independent state government.
Once our Western Joint Government is established, will it be considered equal to those state governments, or superior to them?" Patrick glared at Hans disdainfully.
If this matter wasn't handled well, it could potentially lead to a split between Pittsburgh and the Eastern Thirteen States.
The others were somewhat hesitant to speak further, but Hans was not one to be silenced and immediately glared back, displeased:
"Why should we care about their state governments?
We are establishing a joint government now to cooperate with the Continental Congress, which is composed of representatives from the Thirteen States, not with other states.
Do they dare to wage war against us?"
Charles listened and secretly nodded in his heart.
This Hans might appear boorish, but in reality, he saw things most clearly.
As long as they didn't deviate from the name "United States" set by the Continental Congress, and as long as they remained involved in the war of Independence, the Continental Congress wouldn't overly scrutinize what name their government adopted now.
After all, the Continental Congress was currently relying on Pittsburgh, not the other way around.
As for the attitudes of the other Thirteen States' governments, there was even less need to consider them; many states themselves were contemplating independence.
If the Western Joint Government declared independence, they might even cooperate by also declaring independence and then coming to establish diplomatic relations with them.
Now, they were merely establishing a government under the Continental Congress.
No matter what this government was called, they wouldn't care.
Only a few states with some vested interests in Ohio might oppose Pittsburgh's formal annexation of Ohio.
Police Chief Antoine really wanted to express his differing opinion, but seeing Charles' approving expression, he merely opened his mouth, took a sip of wine from his glass, and said nothing further.
Major Sherman, the Militia Commander, however, resolutely displayed a soldier's style, stating:
"Our militia will certainly obey the decisions of the Pittsburgh Council.
However, I personally believe that the issue with the other state governments is not significant.
As for the Continental Congress, as long as we do not secede from the United States and are willing to participate in the war in the East, they will certainly not make things difficult for us."
At the end, he glanced at Charles:
"Your Excellency Godfrey is a powerful figure in the Continental Congress, now leading the Continental Congress just as he leads Pittsburgh, and he has a huge influence on the Eastern Thirteen States.
No one believes he would abandon the entire United States and only choose Ohio."
Charles smiled slightly upon hearing this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Actually, the state governments should hope that we can establish a strong government!" Greenspan interjected, "Now the Continental Congress is interfering more and more with the state governments.
If a powerful authority emerges to challenge the authority of the Continental Congress, they will certainly be very happy."
At this, Antoine could no longer hold back and said with a simple, honest expression:
"Then we cannot establish too powerful an authority.
Currently, fighting the British army is our greatest endeavor; we absolutely cannot let the states focus their attention on other matters.
Everyone must consider the bigger picture!"
The others, upon hearing this, chose to silently drink their wine and said nothing.
Although Antoine's words were correct, in reality, the states always had to consider their own interests.
As leaders of Pittsburgh, they should, of course, also consider their own interests, provided it did not harm the overall interest.