Once he finalized the sale of military supplies and the transfer of patent technology, he garnered the goodwill of Ambassadors from several major European countries. Ambassadors from various nations frequently visited the Diana family's castle, almost turning it into a second Independence Hall. In fact, this three-story luxurious stone castle was more suitable as a venue for entertaining foreign guests than the two-story, simpler Independence Hall.
Unfortunately, this joy was short-lived, as discordant voices soon emerged within the Continental Congress and on the streets of Philadelphia.
Previously, when selling military supplies, Charles had consulted the Continental Congress. Jefferson and his faction, respecting private property, said nothing; many traditionalists believed it would help win the friendship of European powers and were very supportive; even Adams and his colleagues thought it was a good opportunity to showcase America's strength to Europe and agreed to it.
However, as the military supply purchase agreement was reached and Charles planned to sell patent technology for new-style explosives and detonators to European countries, rumors began to circulate privately.
"Hey! Have you heard, Councilor Godfrey is going to sell our most advanced bomb technology to the Spanish!"
"I heard about it early. During the Defense of Philadelphia last time, we all saw the power of those bombs when they exploded. Isn't it just selling military supplies? What's so strange about that?"
"What's wrong with it! If you sell the technology, can you guarantee that we won't have conflicts with those countries? Can you guarantee that these countries won't sell the bombs to the British? Then Councilor Godfrey will take the money, but we'll be the ones getting bombed!"
"Oh! If that's the case, then I certainly can't sell it."
"Isn't that right? I heard the buyer behind these technologies is king George of England!"
"Ah..."
Discussions like this quickly began to spread on the streets of Philadelphia.
Many of Charles' close friends and members of his financial faction were very concerned about such clearly unfavorable news. They frequently came to earl Rogers's Castle to ask Charles for his opinion, mainly about whether to refute the rumors. Because this news was spreading rapidly, there were clear signs of deliberate dissemination. If it spread on a large scale, it might be detrimental to Charles' future endeavors and even affect the interests of the entire faction.
Charles, however, merely smiled at such news, stating generously:
"The common people have the right to discuss, and I cannot deprive them of their freedom of speech. There's no need to worry about this. When someone genuinely opposes my sale and infringes upon my legitimate business rights, then everyone can act together. Haha! As for now, I think someone should be more anxious than I am!"
After assuring his friends and family not to worry, Charles immediately instructed James, who was negotiating patent transfers with France, Spain, and other countries, to declare that due to public disapproval, the transfer price would be increased by ten percent, causing the Ambassadors of several countries to complain bitterly.
The spread of such slanderous news about Charles first worried the diplomats from several countries who were already concerned about the patent technology transfer negotiations, fearing that Charles might refuse the transfer due to this. They never expected that Charles wouldn't refuse, but would instead significantly raise the transfer fee, which naturally made it even more unbearable for them.
Furthermore, they also realized that someone was deliberately spreading the rumors. The Ambassadors of various countries immediately united and pressured Jefferson, who had always been responsible for the Continental Congress' foreign affairs.
"Your Excellency Jefferson! The anti-foreign sentiments currently circulating in Philadelphia are very detrimental to our support for the American independence cause! We hope that the United States can properly address its relations with friendly European countries, provide appropriate guidance, and prevent such damaging remarks and actions that harm our mutual relations from reappearing. Otherwise, it will certainly make us waver in our stance on whether to continue supporting American independence."
The United States had not yet officially gained independence from Britain and still needed to curry favor with these powerful nations, hoping for their support on the issue of independence. Therefore, even though these Ambassadors spoke very impolitely, Jefferson was inwardly very angry, but for the sake of the country, he still had to swallow his pride.
"Yes! gentlemen! Please rest assured, the Continental Congress has always highly valued its friendship with friendly European countries. We will certainly strive to reconcile the views of our citizens and prevent them from making such erroneous remarks that are detrimental to the development of bilateral relations."
Of course, those diplomats would not believe Jefferson's promise, but this was just a gesture. With various countries jointly pressuring Jefferson, those engaging in clandestine activities would inevitably be affected by this pressure and exercise some restraint.
Of course, this alone was not enough. The Ambassadors of various countries also mobilized individuals in the United States who were friendly to their respective nations to defend the patent transfer. To emphasize the rationality of this transfer, Charles was even portrayed as someone who deeply considered the nation and its people, stating that this transfer was entirely for the long-term national interests of the United States, and that the friendship the United States would gain was far more important than the patent technology it gave up, and so on.
Ordinary citizens are very impressionable, especially susceptible to public opinion. With such one-sided praise for Charles, many immediately became his staunch supporters. Although many who originally disliked Charles still couldn't change their views, overall, everyone was looking at the positive side. As for the so-called patent transfer incident, the nascent United States highly valued commercial freedom and private property, so they generally quickly accepted the idea that Charles had the right to handle the sale of patents himself.
Charles effortlessly sat at home while people provided free political propaganda for him, making those who secretly acted furious. This time, it was truly a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead, allowing Charles to gain an advantage for free.
As the victory of the war of Independence was approaching, many far-sighted politicians, or rather, ambitious individuals, had already begun to consider their political future after the peaceful establishment of the nation. Especially the Federalist, with the imminent arrival of British negotiating envoys, they re-proposed their original federal nation-building concept, hoping for discussion in the Continental Congress, and began to pre-select candidates for various positions in the potential Federal Government after its establishment.
Charles' influence now definitely ranked among the top five leaders in the United States. His previous weakness of lacking diplomatic experience and international relations was now compensated by the explosive patent transfer. Moreover, it was clear that once the patent transfer agreement was reached, many arms dealers in those countries would immediately flock to Charles, hoping to secure the production of new-style explosives and detonators. These arms dealers generally held influence in the upper echelons, which would significantly boost Charles' internal and external influence. It could be said that among the political leaders of the major factions, Charles was the most comprehensively developed. Those with ulterior motives had already listed Charles as a potential opponent and began to suppress him in advance.
—
Charles also had some understanding of the current political environment in Philadelphia; he had no intention of immediately getting involved.
In fact, with his current strength and reputation, if he managed it well, it was not impossible for him to seize the position of the first President after the nation's founding. However, he had read many political stories and knew that a political figure in opposition could often be accepted by all sides and be hailed with titles like 'a great man for decades,' but once he held power, he would immediately be seen by his former political allies as someone who had stolen their fruits.
How high was Washington's popularity back then? He ascended to power twice amidst the cheers of the masses, but in the end, he also stepped down amidst widespread celebrations. Although Charles now had some strength and reputation, he was still far from Washington's influence in real history. He was still young and did not want to be constantly guarded against for the rest of his life for the sake of a four-year presidency.
Charles estimated that if he vied for the first presidential seat, he would likely be in a bloody struggle for the second term. Aside from anything else, he couldn't withstand the combined forces of Jefferson's Democrats and Adams' Federalists. Moreover, he wasn't the sole dominant faction now and couldn't guarantee his successful election. Therefore, after careful consideration, Charles decided to first put forward another representative whose interests aligned with his and the faction's, to see if he could win the first presidential seat. As for himself, he would wait and see.
With the five thousand victorious troops from the southern battlefield returning to Philadelphia with General Sullivan, this temporary capital became lively once again.
General Sullivan's troops were still en route when they learned that the French army was supporting the northern front, and that the urgent need for support for his own troops had lessened. So, he simply marched slowly, allowing the troops, who had long endured war, to rest appropriately while advancing. Thus, it took him more than half a month to barely reach Philadelphia by the end of July.
Coincidentally, these five thousand men were roughly the same number as the soldiers who had previously gone south to support Virginia from Philadelphia, and they were an elite force that had experienced major battles. Charles, in the name of the Military and Ordnance Committee, had this force stationed in Philadelphia as the capital's garrison.
The commander of this garrison was originally intended to be General Sullivan. However, this general, in the prime of his life, expressed to Charles his desire to retire after the war and participate in politics. Moreover, he explicitly stated his willingness to join the financial interest faction led by Charles. This naturally greatly surprised Charles.
The political figures in Philadelphia were already secretly vying for the possible formation of the nation. Now, with the addition of General Sullivan, who knew what kind of chaos would ensue.
"General Sullivan, why would you want to take off your military uniform and become a politician? Haha! I know many soldiers actually dislike politicians very much." Charles had to ask.
This General Sullivan was already completely different from the historical one. He had experienced the Battle of New York, the Defense of Philadelphia, and the Battle of Richmond, the three most influential battles of the war of Independence. Although he was not the supreme leader in each, he performed outstandingly as a second-in-command every time. Now, General Sullivan's political influence within the military system was second only to Washington, on par with General Greene.
And in such a nation-building war, prominent figures from the military system were generally more readily accepted as leaders of the new nation. General Sullivan, as the first general to express willingness to participate in politics after the war, would undoubtedly throw a large stone into Philadelphia's political arena, stirring up huge waves. Charles had to carefully consider his involvement.
"Councilor Charles! That's because I have always firmly believed in one principle: the military can save a nation, but only politicians, only the government, can develop a nation. Our war of Independence is about to be won, and the military's responsibility will soon conclude, but I hope to continue serving the nascent nation. Taking off my military uniform and joining the political arena is the best choice!" General Sullivan was clearly prepared, and the reasons he presented were upright, legitimate, and highly propagandistic.
"Haha!" Charles let out a soft laugh.
He was already considered an old hand in politics and certainly wouldn't be moved by such inflammatory words. However, these words were enough for Charles to judge that this general knew that the role of the military would diminish after the victory of the war and hoped to join the political arena to continue developing. He was likely not instigated by those ambitious individuals, preparing to shed his military guise to become a "king" or a dictator using the influence of the military.
"Then, Your Excellency General, why did you think of choosing our financial interest faction? Everyone in our faction is a businessman, entrepreneur, Banker, and so on; there are hardly any pure politicians, are there?" Charles continued to ask.
"Your Excellency! You and I had excellent experience working together as superior and subordinate during the Defense of Philadelphia. Don't you think we did very well at that time?" General Sullivan did not answer directly but used a very profound statement to express his feelings.
"Hahahaha..." Charles burst into laughter, "Excellent! Excellent! We worked together very smoothly. Don't worry, I will consult with others in the faction and can give you a definite answer very soon."
Charles was very satisfied with General Sullivan's reply.
Despite being a soldier, the general's previous answer had a very political characteristic. He hinted that he was still willing to be Charles' second-in-command. Charles was the faction leader; once he had the opportunity to lead the country, wouldn't this faction's second-in-command become the country's co-leader?
Presumably, if one were to delve deeper, there would also be reasons such as his elder's steadiness complementing Charles' youthful passion, or his influence in the military complementing Charles' formal justification as a civilian, and so on.
Charles, Morris, Hamilton, and other key figures from the various consortium interest factions quickly agreed to accept General Sullivan as a faction member.
However, the question of whether to grant General Sullivan the status of Charles' deputy was not truly discussed, as the faction's organizational structure was still incomplete, and titles like 'party leader' and 'deputy' did not yet exist.
Nevertheless, Charles clearly stated that when the nation was peacefully established and a political party formed, General Sullivan would be one of the founding members and an elder.
He only hoped that the General would not yet shed his military uniform, but would continue to serve as the Commander of the Philadelphia Garrison, and only formally enter politics after the war was completely victorious.
General Sullivan readily agreed; the power and prestige of the Garrison Commander were already considerable, and with Charles' promise, the General's confidence immediately soared.
He fulfilled his duties as Garrison Commander while actively participating in Philadelphia's political circles as a reserve member of the faction, helping to expand the influence of the consortium interest faction.
After dealing with the Garrison and General Sullivan, Charles himself did not remain in Philadelphia, but instead chose a short vacation, inviting the Ambassadors and military attachés to visit Pittsburgh.
Just as the political figures in Philadelphia were contemplating what political actions Charles might take due to General Sullivan joining the consortium interest faction, he temporarily avoided the political maelstrom of Philadelphia and went to Pittsburgh.
The route from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh now primarily relied on the Pennsylvania Canal.
Dozens of steamboats shuttled back and forth on the canal day and night, not only accelerating the development of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh but also driving the economic development of the areas along both banks of the canal.
This canal, not historically famous, did indeed serve as a golden waterway in its early construction phase.
As long as the Erie Canal was not open, its role would not change.
Taking a high-speed steamboat from Philadelphia, the group arrived in Pittsburgh in less than three days.
Although this could not compare to the few hours' journey in later generations, for people at the time, it was considered extremely fast and convenient.
The Ambassadors, having experienced the performance of the steamboat, praised it repeatedly:
"This is truly a miracle of civilized society! I never imagined steamboats could be so swift and convenient!"
"Indeed! At first, I thought this boat would be as slow as those tugboats pulling a long string of vessels behind them.
I never expected it to be so much faster, almost as fast as a sailboat with a tailwind!"
"Haha! Sitting in the cabin, there's hardly any noise or thick smoke, and the journey is very smooth.
It's much more comfortable than it initially looked!"
Most of these Ambassadors, who had been in Philadelphia for several days, had seen steamboats on the canal, but they had only noticed those used as tugboats.
Now, seeing the speed of this high-speed passenger boat, they were naturally amazed.
"Not at all! This is a canal boat, so it's naturally very stable.
As for the speed, this is still a relatively old-fashioned steamboat.
My shipyard company is currently developing the latest dual-boiler steam express boat.
The theoretical speed is seventy percent faster than the current one.
It's estimated that once it's actually built, this journey can be shortened by at least another third of the time," Charles said with a smile, promoting it to the Ambassadors.
Selling firearms was not enough; Charles planned to continue selling his steam engines and boats to these Ambassadors.
However, due to transportation difficulties, it was likely that only patent transfers or setting up factories in these countries with his own people would be feasible.
Nevertheless, Pittsburgh's industry was highly developed, with many industrial products that Europe did not possess, all representing potential business opportunities.
Introducing and building machinery would certainly take a lot of time, so promoting other industrial products to them now was also an excellent choice.
The Ambassadors immediately became interested upon hearing about even better express boats.
"Your Excellency, please tell us more about it.
Our country also greatly needs such advanced ships.
If it looks good, we will certainly place an order with you, and perhaps even purchase your production technology again."
"No! We can discuss the technology transfer of this ship right now!"
Several eager Ambassadors could no longer hold back and wanted to directly discuss the technology transfer issue immediately.
Ambassador Girard, who had come along, looked very displeased.
He knew that the leakage of steamboat technology was only a matter of time, but seeing these people eager to purchase production patent technology, he clearly understood their true objective: to win over Charles and then collaborate on researching and manufacturing steam warships.
Intelligent politicians, upon seeing this new type of steamboat, would first think of its military applications.
Unfortunately, this was not something he could prevent.
He could only hope that his and Count Grass' letters would be received by his country soon, so they could quickly order new steam warships and simultaneously intensify research in this area, maintaining a leading advantage over other countries that acquired steam warship technology.
"Haha! No rush!
gentlemen Ambassadors, Pittsburgh is right before us.
This city is full of business opportunities, and you can take your time to look around.
I believe that although our United States developed relatively late in the New World, there are still many things that will interest you.
gentlemen Ambassadors, you can take your time looking.
If you like something and want to buy it, just place an order directly.
If you want to transfer patent technology, we can discuss it slowly in a few days!" Charles announced with a smile.
Didn't he bring them here precisely to attract investment and promote his products?
These Ambassadors were also very cultured individuals.
Hearing Charles' words, they immediately stopped pressing and excitedly dispersed to explore this "smoking everywhere" city, searching for goods and technologies that might interest them.
Today's Pittsburgh was not only an industrial city and a commercial hub.
As the capital of the United States, it was also the political and cultural center of the Midwest.
The city's prosperity and beauty were enough to make the Ambassadors not feel that it was a backward place.
Adventurers, gold prospectors, even bandits and headhunters traveling to and from the Midwest, all regarded this place as a paradise; as for the plantation owners, farmers, and mine owners in the east and west, they considered it a holiday resort; coupled with merchants traveling to and from the Midwest, and traders from various places coming to Pittsburgh to purchase goods, the sheer number of transient people alone was around ten thousand.
Fortunately, Pittsburgh's canal opened, allowing supplies from the Eastern United States and Louisiana.
Otherwise, just feeding the population would bankrupt Pittsburgh.
What Pittsburgh lacked most now was not grain, but housing.
Grain could be bought, but houses could only be built slowly.
And precisely because Pittsburgh was a newly emerging large city with infinite business opportunities, many people were willing to engage in other high-risk, high-reward jobs rather than diligently building houses.
Therefore, many people still lived in tents and thatched huts.
For the sake of Pittsburgh's appearance, Mayor Patrick even specifically designated a slum area for these "tent dwellers."
Although it was just a small area, it accounted for nearly one-fifth of Pittsburgh's population.
But it was the people here who performed Pittsburgh's hardest and worst jobs, creating the superficial prosperity and beauty of the entire city through their own humility.
Aside from this slum, the entire city was still very beautiful.
On the surface, it was no different from the large cities in the Eastern United States.
Moreover, the thick smoke above the city and the roaring machinery sounds made many newcomers to the city feel that it was indeed an advanced industrial city.
Everywhere was the sound of machinery! Everywhere were smoking steam engines! This was the main thing the Ambassadors saw.
Returning to the newly completed Pittsburgh Hotel, the Ambassadors eagerly hoped to see Charles as soon as possible, because each of them had taken an interest in a large amount of equipment and technology and wished to purchase or obtain its transfer.
However, Charles only replied, telling them to continue looking, to take their time, and that he would host a banquet for the Ambassadors at his "White House" three days later, saying nothing more.
He was currently listening to his old butler, Jonathan, report on the development of the family business in recent days.
In these recent days, the most important development, and the one with the greatest impact on the Godfrey family, was the upgrading of Scarlet Manor to a town.
The original Scarlet Manor, including slaves, had a population not much less than Pittsburgh's in early 1776.
Later, dozens more families of old militiamen were added, plus workers from the relocated steel mill, arms factory, and shipyard, all of whom chose to build houses near the original Scarlet Manor, forming a settlement the size of a small town long ago.
With the university district under construction nearby, the population around Scarlet Manor had already exceeded one thousand.
Managing so many people from Pittsburgh, which had just been upgraded to a city, was clearly inappropriate.
Therefore, after the United States was established last year, Charles ordered the establishment of a small town centered around the original Scarlet Manor, which became Scarlet Town.
The town's boundaries primarily encompassed Charles' hundred thousand acres of land, and the mayor was, of course, Charles' most trusted old butler, Jonathan.
This Scarlet Town was the true independent kingdom of the Godfrey family.
Charles could directly issue all kinds of laws, regulations, and administrative orders as family head commands, making it completely different from towns like Pittsburgh.
The Godfrey family indeed experienced a rise in status along with Charles.
Charles himself became one of the leaders of the American Revolution, and members of his family became mayors, committee members, and most were upgraded from servants to "public servants."
The old butler was a very traditional man.
After becoming mayor, his loyalty and sense of family honor only grew stronger.
In public and private, he never truly adopted the demeanor of a mayor, believing he was merely managing the territory for his young master.
Upon Charles' return, he quickly presented all the construction achievements of these days to Charles for review.
In fact, there wasn't much content that warranted Charles' special attention.
Most matters were developing according to the original plan.
The machine textile factory, a collaboration with Patrick, had already begun construction of its second factory.
The cotton, linen, and ramie fabrics it produced were inexpensive and very popular among surrounding colonists, essentially being sold out as soon as they left the factory.
The third phase of the steel mill project had already begun planning, and with the short canal to Lake Superior about to open, this third phase was expected to directly use high-grade iron ore from Lake Superior.
The arms factory, needless to say, already had orders lined up until next year, but Charles did not plan to increase the outdated equipment before new types of firearms and cannons were invented.
In any case, the latest lathes and other equipment had already been ordered from Europe, and by the time those advanced pieces arrived, new weapons would probably be ready, so it would not be too late to expand then.
The shipyard, just as Charles said, had already launched the latest dual-boiler high-speed passenger ship, which would shorten the round trip between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to two days.
The latest achievement of the steam engine research laboratory was, of course, the dual-boiler steam engine.
The manufacturing technology hadn't advanced much, but the power had indeed increased significantly.
Because of this achievement, the railway from Scarlet Town to downtown Pittsburgh would have new options.
The original experimental railway had already been built, but the steam locomotive powered by an old-fashioned steam engine was not only slower than a horse but couldn't even keep up with an ordinary freight carriage, making it practically useless.
Now, with this dual-boiler steam engine, it became possible to develop a truly usable locomotive.
As for the stock exchange, the failure of the original steam locomotive experiment led to a sharp drop in stock prices.
Several people who had borrowed money to speculate in stocks almost caused a small riot.
Fortunately, the police were always under Antoine's command, and the problem was quickly resolved.
Overall, there were no major difficulties or setbacks during these days, and development proceeded very smoothly.
Even if there were minor issues, they had already been overcome.
Charles' ventures in Pittsburgh were certainly not limited to these, but for Charles, these were the main areas worthy of attention.
"Very good, Jonathan, you've done an excellent job.
If you weren't here looking after things, I truly don't know if I could work peacefully in Philadelphia!" Charles rubbed his forehead.
The infighting in Philadelphia these days had indeed made him, a person unaccustomed to such a life in his previous incarnation, feel very, very tired.
Returning to Pittsburgh, besides attracting investment for his industries, he also planned to rest well for a few days, recuperating his energy before returning to Philadelphia to fight hard, as the war was about to be victorious.
Since becoming the Chairman of the Military and Ordnance Committee, Charles had not had a chance to rest properly.