Chapter 131: [Sleeping Bear Agreement]

"proposal?"

Cook nodded: "Yes, we can only propose it, and the final decision is still made by the president and the congressmen."

Ma Shao snorted, "You have no sincerity. In that case, you should go back and get enough money, and then come back to buy these 1,000 pistols."

Of course he knew that Cook didn't really not have enough money, or that it didn't matter at all. Cook just wanted to spend less money.

He was basically certain that the so-called "credit" would not be recovered afterwards.

Therefore, if he couldn't get some other conditions in return, he would never be willing to lose $20,000 in profit.

slepping bear city now has considerable assets, with revenues from garment factories, arsenals, and taxes increasing day by day, but $20,000 is still not a negligible amount.

Cook could not help but frown. "You proposed these unrealistic conditions, Albert. Especially the establishment of a new state. How could Fort Leavenworth have the power to agree to it? We are just a military base."

Ma Shao asked: "What can you promise?"

Cook: "How about this, I'll add another $10,000 in interest. As long as you take Santa Fe, we'll pay you $40,000, including principal and interest."

His tone made it seem like this was a very sincere offer, and he added, "Forty thousand dollars, isn't that a lot?"

Ma Shao didn't say anything and thought for a while.

It seems that it is impossible for Lieutenant Colonel Cook to make any substantial promises. At most, it is just something nominal.

However, sometimes, reputation can also be a very important thing.

"Colonel Cook, if you can promise in the name of Fort Leavenworth that you will never violate the Plains tribes, respect our rights, and recognize our possession of the existing territory, I can advance you $20,000."

Ma Shao said.

"I don't need you to pay $20,000 in interest, or even $10,000. Just $5,000 will do. All you have to do is pay back $25,000 within six months."

Cook: "I can promise not to attack you and respect your rights. After all, we Americans have always been peace-loving."

"As for the land issue, I need to follow what is in U.S. law."

He paused.

"As the administrator here, Fort Leavenworth can designate the area nearby as your legal reservation. The reservation still requires approval from Congress, but generally speaking, the Congress will not refuse us."

Kansas is a sparsely populated country with a large number of Indian reservations, so it would be natural to demarcate another one.

Ma Shao felt that it was about right and finally nodded in agreement. Then the two began to draft the agreement.

Like the previous neutrality agreement, this agreement is still quite concise and succinctly states several core conditions.

First of all, it's about money. Fort Leavenworth needs to return $20,000 to Sleeping Bear City, plus $5,000 in interest within six months.

Secondly, regarding the issue of peace, Fort Leavenworth promised to respect the rights of Sleeping Bear City, not to actively invade Sleeping Bear City, and no longer to offer a reward for the scalps of Sleeping Bear City residents.

Then, regarding the territory, Fort Leavenworth designated the area near Sleeping Bear as a reservation for the plains tribes, which was roughly a square area with Sleeping Bear as the center and a side length of ninety miles.

Finally, Fort Leavenworth would propose to Washington that the Plains tribes join the United States as states.

Cook signed the agreement without much hesitation.

In his opinion, the agreement was not very important, and its content was mostly ambiguous and had no binding force.

After signing, he had only one thought: "Why is the font on the agreement so big?"

"To make it easier to take photos." Ma Shao smiled.

"Take a photo?" Cook was slightly stunned.

"Yes." Ma Shao immediately called a photographer and took a group photo of both parties and the agreement that had just been signed.

It was quite troublesome to shoot, with an exposure time of up to twenty minutes, but fortunately people were all sitting.

"I didn't expect there were photographers here," Cook was surprised. The daguerreotype camera had only been invented for seven or eight years, and photographers were still relatively rare.

He looked at the photographer who had just taken the photo: "What's your name and where are you from?"

The photographer was a white man in his thirties, thin, with curly hair.

"My name is Tony Anderson, sir. I used to live in Missouri," said the white photographer.

Cook nodded: "Anderson, what do you think of this place?"

"Very good." Anderson's answer surprised Cook. "I like it here. In fact, I think it may be the best city in the world."

"Why? You know, this is... an Indian place." Cook looked at his expression and felt confused, thinking that he was not lying.

If Ma Shao and others had not been nearby, he would definitely have said it was a "barbarian place."

It was bizarre that a white man should enjoy living among Indians.

Anderson frowned and thought for a while: "Well... Actually I can't really say, maybe it's because of the atmosphere. Of course, I earn well here, people like to take pictures, and the chief likes it too."

"Are there many white residents in the city?" Cook asked again.

Anderson: "Not many, maybe fifty."

Some time passed.

"Okay, let's see how my photos turned out." Photographer Anderson handed the developed photos to Ma Shao and Cook.

In the photo, several people are sitting around a table, including Ma Shao and Cook. On the table is a signed agreement. Although the black and white picture quality is very poor, the bold and enlarged text on the agreement can be roughly seen.

"Not bad." Ma Shao nodded.

As Cook looked at the photo, he felt a vague sense of uneasiness in his heart...

Could this agreement bring about any unexpected consequences?

At most, I can just pay back $25,000. What's the big deal? Cook thought.

The agreement signed by both parties is called the "Sleeping Bear Agreement", and after signing, the transaction is completed.

Cook used $30,000 to buy a thousand Browning revolvers, and then left with the weapons and returned to General Kearney's station.

In the chieftain's hall of Sleeping Bear City, Yutian looked at the agreement and photos and said, "To be honest, Ma Shao, I think this agreement is meaningless."

"The white people didn't care about the agreement they signed with us, and the content of it was too vague. Words like 'will not actively invade Sleeping Bear City' and 'respect the rights of the plains tribes'... it's like nothing was said."

"There are also so-called reservations, which still require approval from the U.S. Congress. This reservation is larger than most, and there's a chance that Congress won't approve it."

Ma Shao nodded: "Indeed, a lot of this is just empty talk, but that doesn't mean it's not binding."

Rainy days can't help but ask, "What are your plans?"

"It's hard to say for now." Ma Shao didn't say much.

"When this war is over or about to end, I should be able to use it."