“Have each squad leader assemble in the tent immediately!”“Yes, sir!”Having received authority from Lane, Max convened a meeting to rescue Jacob Branson.There were eight squad leaders in all.He hadn’t appointed any platoon leaders yet.They need to feel what it’s like to climb up the ladder.He planned to hand out ranks at the right time.Drive them into endless competition and stoke their passion. Of course, that had side effects.If things overheated, it would become a minus instead, so careful control was necessary.Max spread a map on the table, set small stones on it, and began to speak.“This is the spot where Samuel Jones grabbed Jacob Branson. And over here is Lecompton, where Jones’s sheriff’s office is.”With captured Jacob Branson at the center, Lecompton sat at eleven o’clock, and Lawrence, where Max was, lay at twelve.“Under normal circumstances, they should have gone to eleven o’clock. But their route is heading toward two o’clock. Anyone know why?”The squad leaders traded opinions, but the most accurate one came from Fitch.“Because Lawrence sits on the road to Lecompton. So Jones is heading for Wyandotte, where Missouri’s influence reaches.”The real reason Jones was avoiding Lawrence was simple. It was because Max was there.He knew interference was guaranteed, so he chose Wyandotte near the Missouri border instead.Fitch knew Max was the reason but didn’t bother to say it out loud.“Good eye, Fitch.”At some point, Max’s way of speaking with her had become casual.He nodded and rubbed his chin.In actual history, Jacob was supposed to be rescued on the road to Lecompton.That was where the Jayhawkers led by John Brown and a man named Samuel Newitt Wood had done their work. Samuel Newitt Wood would become a Kansas state senator off the back of that hero story.Of course, with Max in the mix, they might end up getting stripped bare instead.Either way—Jones changed his destination. That’s the point.With Jones’s party already more than halfway along, it was impossible to snatch Jacob in the middle.What kept needling Max was the force coming over from Missouri. Once Jones reached Wyandotte, he would clearly draw troops from Jackson County, Missouri.Max looked at Tucker.A Jayhawker one year younger than Max who had guarded the governor with him. He’d grown up on a ranch and had been riding since childhood; he’d once covered 40 km in 30 minutes.His combat sense was trash, though, so Max had given him the job of signalman.“Squad Leader Tucker, you’re going to Grinter Place in Wyandotte. Meet Moses Grinter and deliver the letter I give you.”Because of the recent increase in traffic, the short ferry line shuttling between Grinter Place and Lawrence had been expanded.But even then, it wasn’t running every day, and if you factored in the winding Kansas River, it wasn’t efficient in terms of speed.That was why Max intended to use the overland route to Grinter Place and then take the boat to Wyandotte.With eighty men moving, they couldn’t help but stand out.The problem was whether Moses Grinter, chair of the Delaware village and a hardline defender of slavery, would actually help with this.Judging from what he’s been doing lately, there’s a chance.Two months earlier, Grinter had left the Delaware village and moved his residence near his business, the Grinter Place Ferry.A two-story brick house with a beautiful garden.There, Grinter had stepped back from the political struggle over slavery and was simply living.Which only made it more likely he’d refuse.If he wasn’t careful, he could be branded a traitor.I just need to give him a pretext.Max quickly wrote a letter and handed it to Tucker.“You know what you have to do to make communication as fast as possible, right?”“Yes, sir!”It was 46 km to Grinter Place.Tucker led his squad and became the first to head for the objective.After that, Max gave Fitch certain instructions. Tucker headed for Grinter Place, while Fitch packed clothes and led her squad toward the town of Wyandotte.That left six squads.“Gear up and assemble in thirty minutes.”The squad leaders stepped out of the tent, and soon booming voices echoed across the grounds.“It’s finally the real thing, you bastards! Second Squad, form up!”“Third Squad, move your asses! You’ve got thirty minutes to get ready. Anyone late is dead meat!”They learn this part damn fast, don’t they.Clicking his tongue, Max looked at Dudley, standing there doing nothing. His face looked gloomy, as if he felt left out.“Dudley, get ready to do what you’re good at. See you in thirty minutes.”“What I’m good at?”“We have to think about the wounded too.”“Oh! Yes, sir!”Dudley’s face lit up and he hurried off toward his tent.There, he kept all kinds of medicines and tools he carried around for practice.Dudley, too, thought of his future job as a kind of quack doctor. In a frontier settlement, you didn’t really need a license anyway.It’s definitely easier than doing everything alone.The Jayhawkers weren’t regular soldiers; they were militia who had gathered voluntarily.Except for those who had fought in the Mexican War or battles with Indians, they were ordinary people.The Jayhawkers under twenty-five had come together purely on conviction, with no war experience. But after three months of training, they were starting to take shape as soldiers.Once I see today’s result, I’ll know which way to go.Left alone, Max stepped out of the tent and went to find Lane.“You’re saying we should build a fort?”“The bigger problem comes after we bring Jacob Branson back, doesn’t it?”“You talk like you’ve already brought him back.”Without changing expression, Lane continued.“Where do you propose to build this fort?”“On Mount Oread. If we put it where the enemy can clearly see it, it’ll work as a threat as well.”“This is something we’ll have to discuss with the governor. So why come to me?”“A present. If Congressman Lane takes the lead on this, it’ll definitely help.”In actual history, the fort at Lawrence had been built on Lane’s recommendation. Max meant to move up the timing and leave another deep impression on him.“If it’s a present, there must be something you want in return.”“I just want you to be my solid backing.”“You chose me instead of Governor Charles. I can’t make sense of that.”James Henry Lane’s lips twitched.Something in Max’s words seemed to give him a strange happiness.He forced himself to act calm and turned his gaze to the window.And after a moment, Lane nodded, saying he would propose building the fort.“There’d be no reason to refuse a fort, after all.”On the way back to the tent—One year left.Until the day Max, whose very status wasn’t clearly defined, received proper permanent residency.By then, I’ll have to start wrapping up this sheriff of Lawrence business.He just had to shore up his flimsy base by then. ****It was late November.The prairie grass had lost its color, and the ground frozen by the cold trembled under the pounding of hooves.DRRRRRRR.Max rode with sixty-one young Jayhawkers following behind. Every time the cold wind slapped their faces, their excitement and tension only rose higher.Roar had fallen to the rear and was carrying an iron plate about half as wide as his torso on his back. The squad member beside him was the same. They were both big men.A little later, a lone Jayhawker standing out on the plain joined them.He was one of Tucker’s signalmen, and other squad members were posted at intervals along the route between Lawrence and Grinter Place.The fact that he’d leapt onto his horse the moment he saw Max meant Tucker’s news had not yet reached this point.By the time they met the third signalman, they finally got the message.The other Jayhawkers clicked their tongues at Tucker’s insane speed.Tucker and his squad’s riding skill was by far the best among the Jayhawkers.“Moses Grinter has agreed to your request!”“Anything else?”“He asked that you make it look rough!”“Okay. Let’s go!”With a signalman joining at every relay point, their number went back up to sixty-nine.And a short while later,they reached the Grinter Place Ferry dock.As crates were loaded onto the boat and people gathered to trade, the crowd scattered the instant armed men suddenly swept in.BANG!On top of that, Max fired into the air and shouted.“We’re occupying Grinter Place!”“How dare you! Do you even know where you are!”At the appearance of outlaws, Moses Grinter burst out, yelling in fury.It was a rigged poker game, but the look in Grinter’s eyes was anything but ordinary. The whites were shot through with blood.Man, this guy can act.Their eyes locked for a moment.Max ordered Moses Grinter tied up.When Tucker dragged him off by force, Grinter kicked and thrashed, putting on a method-level performance.Guess he’s been under a lot of stress.Judging from the way he was using this chance to blow off steam.But Grinter’s acting came from his own kind of desperation.If he didn’t want pro-slavery hardliners to brand him a traitor and attack him, this was his only option.If Max had just barged in asking for help, he would definitely have refused.But in his letter, Max had written a risky but entertaining proposal.It was to create exactly this situation.That scheming brain of his…Bound hand and foot, Grinter smirked as he watched Max sail toward Wyandotte.Then, looking at the Jayhawkers standing at attention behind him, he clicked his tongue.An Oriental commanding whites…Today would be another day his common sense was shattered. Leaving one squad stationed at Grinter Place to guard the horses, Max took the boat to the town of Wyandotte.At the same time, a group was also advancing from the north.It was John Brown’s party.Lane, who had learned of their rescue operation too late, hurriedly dispatched a single soldier as special envoy.They met in a town called Olathe, 27 km from Wyandotte.“An Oriental is leading a rescue operation?”“Yes, sir.”John Brown, his face set hard, asked the man about the Oriental’s force and tactics.“Well… around eighty men, but I understand only about fifty of them are combat troops.”“Are you saying thirty are noncombat?”“Yes, sir. It’s a bit unusual.”When he heard there were signalmen and even an engineering unit, John Brown shook his head.The very idea of taking people who had gathered to fight with gun and blade, and classifying them as noncombat, didn’t suit John Brown’s temperament at all.“We can’t rely entirely on this Oriental. His personal ability may be outstanding, but this is something that requires experience.”“Uh… I’m not sure it’s my place to say, but…”John Brown glanced back.It was Bouncer Colin, with whom he’d gone through life-and-death scrapes more than once.“That Oriental’s not an ordinary one.”“Sounds like you know him well.”“Well, I’ve run into him a few times. The kid’s body might be nineteen, but his head? It’s a pitch-black politician’s, through and through.”Trying to square his debt with just two bullets with “MJ” carved into the nose—that was nastier than a seasoned politician.Colin was a man of great skill.If that foul-mouthed man was going so far as to praise him, this Oriental definitely had something.After deliberating, John Brown shook off his thoughts and spoke.“Until I see him with my own eyes, we’ll carry out the operation as planned. Let’s go.”“……”The soldier sent by Lane had no choice but to head for Wyandotte together with John Brown’s party.That damned stubbornness…Bouncer clicked his tongue, glaring at the back of the stubborn John Brown’s head.Meanwhile, the troops from Missouri were also making for Wyandotte. But like someone who’s close by and still drags his feet and shows up late, their pace was anything but urgent.The ferry distance between Grinter Place and the Wyandotte dock was barely 12 km by water.The boat stopped and dropped anchor. A large wooden gangplank fell into place, linking to the dock, and the troops poured out.Startled townsfolk scattered in all directions, and in the middle of it, Nelson, a squad member who had arrived earlier with Fitch, ran up to Max.He looked exactly like an unarmed farmer.A textbook outfit for an intelligence agent.“Squad Leader Fitch drew this up.”When Max unrolled the paper, a beautiful landscape spread out before him.He cast a sideways glance at would-be painter Stanley Nelson, who had traded a brush for a gun.“You drew this, right?”Nelson nodded shyly.Ridiculously high quality…Turning his eyes back to the paper, Max could see the tiny notes Fitch had written all over the Wyandotte townscape.The sheriff’s office where Jacob Branson was locked up.The number and positions of the troops guarding the surroundings.For what they’d managed to gather in such a short time, it was very satisfying information.Fitch’s talents definitely lie in this direction.She was perfect as an operative for intelligence, reconnaissance, and information gathering.“So what’s Fitch’s plan?”“She said she’ll lure the enemy as more of our men arrive.”“Hmm. Two squads will support Fitch.”“Yes, sir!”Once you subtracted the squad left at Grinter Place, the men guarding this dock, and the squads that would support Fitch, Max had thirty-two men left, himself included.This operation is going to be a hit-and-run.The incoming Missouri troops were a problem too.If they killed several men just to save one, it would only hand the enemy justification in the next incident.From the start, Max had intended to end this operation without spilling a single drop of blood.“We’re going to finish this without firing guns if we can help it.”“……!”The squad members, who didn’t know that, started whispering among themselves.— Is that even possible?— We might die out here and we’re not going to shoot?— I dunno. I’m just doing what I’m told.— I mean, no matter how good the plan is, that’s…Even the most perfect plan can go off track.Some were worried, some just disappointed.— We came all this way. Might as well make it loud…“If I catch anyone firing without cause, you’d better be ready.”“... Yes, sir.”It was 3 km to where Jacob Branson was.Max pushed through grass that came up to his waist.A little later, when the objective came into view, Max took out his spyglass.The town glowed red in the sunset.Maybe sensing the mood, not many people were moving about.Max quickly swept his gaze around and found Fitch. Slightly outside the town, he saw her behind a barn, changing clothes.!Unable to pull his gaze away, he watched her soon after, now armed and on horseback.“Fitch is about to start the operation. One squad stays here and waits. The rest follow me.”They kept low in the grass and approached the town.BANG!When Fitch fired, about twenty Jayhawkers took that as the signal and charged into the town.“It’s a raid by those Lawrence bastards!”The men around Jones’s office scattered in all directions and dove for cover.Our cautious friend Jones isn’t coming out, I take it.He was probably dug in inside his office.Just as Fitch’s intel had said, Max approached the blind spot at the back of the office.Unlike Lawrence, here a few shops were jammed together, letting him avoid wandering eyes.Just as he finally reached the wall—— “Roar. Up front.”— “Yes, sir.”Roar and another squad member took the 3 cm-thick iron plates off their backs and brought them forward.Like the shields used by riot police in suppression operations, they were a fairly effective fighting shield, given the lead bullets of the day.They were crude, though, and there was plenty of work left to do on them.Hunched over, Roar and the squad member crept toward the office door.And to mask ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) their movement by making it look like an all-out assault on the town, Fitch circled around them, trading gunfire.Meanwhile, judging from the sound of the gunshots outside, Jones sneered at Jacob Branson behind bars.“Since they’re not coming into town, I suppose they mean to lure us out. That doesn’t work on me. Waste of effort.”“……”“Still, it’s better than getting strung up on the spot. Handing you over for a proper trial—if that’s not a sheriff’s duty, what is?”“You shameless bastard.”Jones chuckled at Branson’s reaction.Just then—CRAAASH!The office’s swinging doors flew open as if they’d been torn off.Two iron plates crossed the doorway, top and bottom.Whatever they were, Jones and his seven men instinctively drew and pulled their triggers.BANG! TING!BANG! TING!Did they really not understand that lead bullets couldn’t punch through iron plates?After they’d poured out several rounds—CLICK. CLICK.From the side windows of the sheriff’s office, dozens of gun muzzles suddenly poked out, aimed at Jones and his men.“You crazy son of a…”As Jones’s eyes bulged, a voice came from behind the plates.“Everyone, put your guns down.”!Startled, Jones’s body shuddered and his hand went to the arm that had once been broken.“I said put the guns down.”CLICK.A cocked gun was now pointed right at Jones.When he grimaced and flicked his eyes at his men, they all dropped their weapons with faces like they’d been chewing dung.“Looks like your arm’s all healed.”Max stepped out from behind the plates.Their eyes met, and Jones’s pupils trembled again.But then anger surged up, and he ground his teeth at Max as he approached.“You Oriental coolie son of a—”SMACK!“Relax those eyes, you little shit.”Max slapped Jones across the face, then pressed his foot down hard on the arm that had been broken.“Gaaah!”The Jayhawkers had their guns trained, but their eyes were all on Max, shivers running down their spines.Ignoring Jones’s screams, Max jerked his chin at Roar.“Oh? Right, right.”“Still not thinking straight, huh.”Roar and the squad members immediately went to the cell and pulled Jacob Branson out.Max bent down and pressed the muzzle to Jones’s temple.“You’re going to be a hostage for a bit.”“Ugh… I’ll make sure I—”THWACK.Max clubbed the back of his head and yanked him upright by the hair.Putting Jones out in front, Max spoke toward the places where men lay hidden with guns at the ready.“If you’re going to shoot, you’d better shoot straight. Jones’s head is bigger than you think.”As he backed away, Fitch arrived with her squad, sealing off the enemy’s movements. Right now, she and her riders were doing a fine job as cavalry.— Holy hell, we really are getting out of this without firing a shot.— Is the plan just perfect or what?— Still… damn, this is something.Walking with his hand gripping Jones’s head, Max shot a glance at the whispering Jayhawkers.They all flinched and looked away, and Max said calmly,“The plan was excellent, but what’s most perfect is the people who carried it out.”At his words, the Jayhawkers’ eyes blazed.A sense of achievement unlike anything they’d ever felt.Their chests burned hot with pride and confidence, and with memories of all the hard training they’d endured.Just as they were sinking deeper into Max’s swamp—You’re all really putting on a show, aren’t you.Jones’s face just kept going dull and gray.Being taken by an enemy that hadn’t fired a single shot was a bigger shock than having his arm broken.What the hell is Missouri doing.He’d sent the request for support ages ago and still no news.On top of that, seeing these bastards head for the ferry left him speechless with rage.In every way, his hatred for Max only grew deeper and deeper.If I get out of here, I’ll kill you, no matter what.Just as Jones clenched his fist—Not far away,BANG!BANG!Gunshots rang out.The Jayhawkers cried out in surprise.“Wasn’t it over?”“What’s that sound supposed to be?”“Are there still some left?”Max frowned and turned his head toward where the shots had come from.So he butted in after all. John Brown.The liberty-obsessed tyrant was chiming in late with his own gunfire.

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