Chapter 218 Christmas War
The cocktail party started at five in the afternoon, and the invited guests had arrived one after another, including military generals, former Spanish colonists, and local businessmen and celebrities. These invited guests were divided into different camps, which were quite clear.
Guests who knew each other gathered in groups of two or three, like butterflies flying among flowers, expanding their network of contacts. After Anne's careful dressing, Sheffield, as the protagonist of this cocktail party, also dressed up and walked hand in hand with Anne among the guests. The crystal chandelier above proved that this was definitely not an easy job.
"Starting from this war with Spain, there won't be an era of 30,000 Continental Armies. Relations with the military are very important!" Sheffield smiled after nodding to an army brigade commander. "Although these generals are useless in peacetime, they are an important force in protecting our property. Even if they are feeding dogs, they still have to be given a bone. It won't hurt to get to know them better. You'll have to stay in Manila for a while, so you don't get to know them."
"Got it!" Anne leaned on Sheffield's shoulder as if she had no bones, and said, "You are right. By the way, Gail and McHale are buying land in Panama, and the relationship between Standard Oil and **** is a bit delicate recently. Just before I came here, I heard some news that it seems to be related to some debt."
"That's their business. Everyone knows that I've been busy with my own business abroad." Sheffield knew that Morgan knew about the Mexican debt problem. In the financial industry of the United States, Morgan and his son were rarely challenged. This time, they intercepted in the field where the other party was good at. Even if the two aircraft carriers didn't collide head-on, it would definitely make them a little delicate.
In fact, because the headquarters of the United Company is in Texas, if Sheffield had stayed in the country, he would definitely attract more attention than Rockefeller Jr. Now, although there is radio to remotely control the situation, his absence is still very deceptive.
The matter involves debts of hundreds of millions of dollars. The old man in the family did not show up and was abroad. The matter was handled by Rockefeller Jr. and German capital. I believe no one would think there was anything wrong.
"What is Mexico's collateral? The railway land mining rights and minerals, these should be them." Sheffield licked his lips and said, "Although I am not in the country, my grandmother is still in Arlington. She will not let Standard Oil take advantage of me. It will definitely balance the situation. Forget it, let's manage the Philippines first."
Sheffield prepared sumptuous food and gifts for the guests, all of which were free of charge. All the guests, big and small, who came here felt at home. When most people had arrived, Sheffield and Anne, a perfect couple, announced the start of the dinner. The waiters shuttled among the guests. The atmosphere of the Christmas party had been set off, with wonderful music and guests in gorgeous costumes singing and dancing. It seemed that all the beauty in the world was gathered here.
Outside, American soldiers living in Manila still can't control their crotches every day. Even in the vast Philippines, the scars of war are far from gone, and there are countless poor Filipinos struggling on the brink of death.
"All this is just like the Magic City in the Republic of China. A very small number of people enjoy the so-called Republic of China style, while the police in the Magic City's job every year is to watch corpses being taken away from the streets by carts." Sheffield complained in his heart, looking at the guests dancing in the ball, with an inexplicable smile on his lips.
"William, it's General MacArthur!" Anne reminded Sheffield softly that MacArthur's walking trajectory was towards the two of them.
"General MacArthur, what's the matter?" Sheffield forced a smile as warm as spring breeze and took the initiative to greet him.
Sheffield must pay attention to this person. It seems that Arthur MacArthur later became the governor of the Philippines. Although he did not serve as the governor for a long time, he must have had connections. Another reason is that General MacArthur's son, Douglas MacArthur, is currently studying at the West Point Military Academy and has received a scholarship from the United Army Model Support Corporation. The two are not completely unconnected.
"William, it's really enviable to have such a partner. Miss Anne reminds me of my wife Honey." General MacArthur praised. When he was young, he met a beautiful girl Mary Pinkney Honey at a carnival. They fell in love at first sight and loved each other all their lives.
MacArthur's wife was one of the fourteen children of a wealthy and powerful cotton merchant, and the two later held a grand wedding in the Honey family's private mansion.
Although Sheffield wanted to correct him, saying that the only similarity between the two was that they were both rich, he was completely different from him, at least he was not a gigolo like the other, but he just let it go after thinking about it.
"For a soldier, life nowadays is so boring." Arthur MacArthur complained in his heart, and he didn't know how long the balance between the American Expeditionary Force and the Philippine Army would be maintained.
Sheffield understood what the other party said, but did not give a direct answer. Instead, he raised his glass and said, "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" MacArthur raised his glass and clinked it with Sheffield's, then fell silent. He never dreamed that the peaceful days would soon be broken and the grounds for war were being prepared.
It had just turned dark not long ago in the eastern suburbs of Manila. For the platoon returning to the city, although it was frustrating to come out to receive a batch of supplies before Christmas Eve, there was still plenty of time for them to celebrate Christmas, not to mention that they could easily intercept some fresh food from the supplies.
As it got darker, there was no other sound except the buzzing of mosquitoes. The only sounds were the American soldiers in khaki and black clothes whispering to each other. For the current American Expeditionary Force, the biggest enemy is not the Philippine rebels, but the climate here.
The Philippine rebels have maintained amazing restraint towards the presence of the American Expeditionary Force. Even though the expeditionary force was very vigilant at first, as time went by, they gradually adapted to the environment in the Philippines.
The amazing restraint of the Philippine rebels was incomprehensible to these American soldiers. They only knew to be careful because the danger was not great. Sheffield understood this psychology very well. In general, it was written in the textbooks of the previous life that the bourgeois revolution was weak, although the weakness was towards the ruling class of the country and foreign imperialism. In front of the masses, the bourgeoisie would not be weak at all.
Take Sheffield United Company for example. As long as a staff member of the United Company can manage something, even if he manages only one person, this staff member is different from the ordinary low-level employees who cannot be managed by anyone. Although in Sheffield's eyes, this staff member who can only manage one person is no different from the staff member who cannot be managed by anyone.
But the two men have different psychological positioning. The employee who can manage one person, his heart is with Sheffield. If something happens, he will not hesitate to sell out the only employee he can manage to show his loyalty to the company. Even if there is only a tiny possibility of getting closer, he is willing to give it a try.
The small bosses in sweatshops define themselves in the same way as the great Gates and Jobs. This is their value and sense of honor - owning resources, owning labor, owning profits, and even owning everything.
But when Sheffield really appeared in front of this employee, he would only hear that this employee was willing to fight for the United Company all his life, even if he had to work like a slave, and pray for a little hope to allow him to make a further step.
Because Sheffield is the real boss of the United Company. From himself to every level of employees, they all represent the will of the boss. Employees at all levels will only try to trip up employees of the same level in exchange for the opportunity to beg for mercy in front of him. No one will consider their friends, they will only consider Sheffield.
Even the American soldiers who were now returning to Manila along the road, hoping to spend Christmas, were caught in these layers of nets. There were many fish in the nets, so naturally some fish with weak vitality died before they were caught. They were unlucky, and this time they were chosen to be served on the table.
Sheffield dared to open fire on his own regular army. This kind of courage can only be understood but not described. The selected ambushers, lying in the grass, listened to the English voices from all over the world gradually approaching, held their breath, and prepared to take action.
As the expeditionary force of this platoon entered the ambush circle, the surprise attack began. The dense gunfire was accompanied by the panic shouting and counterattacks after the attack. The fact proved a truth that everyone is equal in front of bullets. White people are not more resilient than natives. A few months of peace made most soldiers relax their vigilance, and of course, their belts were also relaxed.
Only a few soldiers who had been vigilant in their hearts managed to save their lives and were not killed on the spot by the first round of firepower. However, soon, bullets different from the initial rain of bullets appeared in the surrounding grass. Those with some experience knew that it was the sound of heavy machine guns. The dense barrage was like a lawn mower, cutting through the weeds that blocked the view, allowing the few people lying in the pool of blood to see clearly that the attackers were Chinese and indigenous people.
When the wailing completely stopped, the surrounding grass returned to silence. This attack was perfect.
At 10 o'clock in the evening, Sheffield was at a party full of lights and wine. After listening to Jesla's report, he waved his hand to let her go. He put his arm around Anne's shoulders and whispered, "Have you calmed down, baby? This Christmas battle is prepared for you."
(End of this chapter)
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