IBTCPOTME Novel - Chapter 122
**Chapter 122**
**Mexico’s Air Creates Freedom (1)**
It wasn’t uncommon for slaves in the South to escape to the North.
As the number of people opposing slavery grew, secret organizations emerged to help slaves escape to the Northern states or Canada, where slavery was abolished.
One such organization was called the “Underground Railroad.”
“Getting their help is impossible here.”
This was a large plantation in the southern state of Louisiana, near the secluded border. The nearest city where the organization might be active was dozens of miles away, and Mexico was actually closer.
The slaves on this plantation believed the Underground Railroad was just a rumor and endured their lives. They longed for freedom, but they couldn’t see a way to achieve it. Believing it was just a rumor was the only way they could bear their lives.
Whizz- Thwack!
Even with over 14 hours of hard labor a day, the whip that flew whenever they broke the rules or their productivity dropped made it hard to give up their longing for freedom.
Then, one day…
“The Mexicans have taken over eastern Haiti, they say.”
It was the plantation owner’s eldest son, Tom. He should have ignored them, but he couldn’t ignore the next words.
“Those hypocrites, pretending to be righteous, claiming to abolish slavery, stole our cousin George’s property, but they themselves are swallowing the territory of Haiti, an independent country.”
It was the second son who said that slavery was abolished in Mexico.
“That means…?”
Tom pretended to carry things, but his mind was filled with anticipation, joy, fear, and anxiety.
“The eldest mentioned that many people are immigrating to Mexico. They accept everyone except criminals and even give them benefits.”
Mexico accepts immigrants unless they are criminals. And there is no slavery in Mexico. Combining these two pieces of information, Tom thought:
“If I could somehow get to Mexico, wouldn’t I be free? But how do I get there? How can I avoid being caught?”
If adults had heard him, they would have said it was too dangerous, but Tom, a young man in his late teens, started preparing to escape that day.
“Uncle, let’s go together! This is a real possibility!”
He couldn’t run away alone. His parents had passed away long ago, and he had no blood relatives, but he had people who were like family.
“Go alone, Tom. You might be able to do it. I can’t.”
Tom, a healthy adult male in his late teens, and John, who was still considered young at 35, could escape by running dozens of miles if they were lucky. Many slaves actually succeeded in escaping. But John had a wife and daughter.
He couldn’t leave them behind. But if he took them, their speed and stamina would be significantly lower than an adult male. Many slaves were caught during their escape because of their families. If they were caught, they would face severe beatings or even death, so John had given up on escaping long ago.
“…Okay. Thank you for your help.”
John thought Tom’s idea was dangerous, but he realized he couldn’t stop him from his hopeful face, and he helped him to maximize his chances of success.
Everyone knew Mexico was to the west. Therefore, they needed a way to escape west, avoiding the plantation owner and his sons.
When the plantation owner and his sons went hunting, they took the slaves with them to do chores, so they knew the surrounding terrain. They planned an escape route using the terrain they remembered. The slaves’ knowledge was limited, so the plan was crude, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“Let’s wait a little longer and go in the spring.”
John tried to stop Tom from escaping immediately.
“No, we should go now. It’ll be hard because of the cold weather, but so will it be for those who chase me. Security will be lax, and the nights are long.”
John nodded.
“Okay, I understand.”
In the countryside, you had to go to a city dozens of miles away to hire a professional tracker. The city was in the opposite direction of Mexico, so they wouldn’t do that if they had any sense. By the time they hired a professional tracker and started chasing, Tom might already be near Mexico.
“At most, it’ll be the plantation owner’s sons and a few employees.”
It wasn’t a short distance. Even on horseback, it would take three days. Would they camp out in this cold winter to chase him? It was a matter of life and death for him, but for the plantation owner’s sons, he was just one of many slaves.
They might not give up easily, considering they “bought him for a lot of money,” as they put it, but they wouldn’t be as desperate as he was.
Tom planned to steal a horse, food, and warm clothes to escape. The area was so remote that no one dared to escape, so surveillance was relatively lax.
“Uncle John, stay healthy.”
“Tom, be careful.”
Tom said goodbye in the evening and waited until dawn with a heart beating wildly.
Creak-
John carefully opened the door, but as expected, there was no one guarding it. They must be hiding somewhere because of the cold winter.
Louisiana, one of the warmest states in America, especially the southernmost part, but winter was still winter.
Thanks to the employees’ negligence, Tom easily got warm clothes and food. As dawn broke, while darkness still enveloped the plantation buildings, Tom walked cautiously through the buildings.
His steps were light, and even his breathing was barely audible.
“They’re not even guarding this place.”
Normally, employees should be guarding it, but it was fortunate for Tom. Tom cautiously approached the horse he had often fed.
Tom went to Sam’s side and gently stroked his large head.
“Sam, you have to get up, buddy.”
The horse quietly opened its eyes. Sam’s large eyes looked at Tom, and Tom carefully untied the ropes that bound Sam, making sure not to make a sound.
“Let’s go.”
Sam, with clothes and food on his saddle, cautiously left the plantation. He didn’t recklessly ride the horse.
The night was still long, and there was plenty of time.
***
“You bastards!”
The eldest son, George, who was in charge of the plantation’s management in place of the old plantation owner, shouted from morning.
“Do you think I pay you to do this?”
Most of the labor on the plantation was done by slaves, but their management and supervision were the responsibility of paid employees.
Some plantations gave authority and benefits to slaves who were obedient, but the owner of this plantation didn’t trust black people.
Slap!
George slapped the employees’ faces without hesitation.
It was like treating slaves, but on this plantation, he was the law.
“Find him immediately!”
“Yes!”
“Brother, I’ll find him.”
William, the second son, said quietly from behind his angry brother.
“Yes, we need someone we can trust.”
George, who had calmed down a bit after slapping the employees’ faces, said.
Thus, William, the plantation owner’s second son, and five plantation employees set out to catch Tom.
“Ha, if he escaped at dawn, he’s already gone for miles. What are we going to do?”
“George, he doesn’t have a map. We can catch him by following him steadily while he wanders around.”
“Well, that’s true. And he might have fed the horse, but he’s never ridden it, so he wouldn’t be able to go that fast.”
Even if the management was a bit lax, they didn’t leave maps in easily accessible places.
“He might have prepared, but he can’t find his way through 140 miles (225 km) without a map.”
“We don’t know which way he went, so let’s split into three groups of two and search. Meet here at the halfway point.”
“Yes.”
William distributed the maps he had brought and started looking for the slave’s tracks.
It was difficult to track because the ground was hard and there was little snow in the winter, but they couldn’t hide the traces of camping.
“He must have rested here.”
“Yes, the traces are clear.”
He had come further than expected, but considering the time, they were faster.
They would soon catch that brazen bastard.
***
“Finally!”
They say the pursuers started chasing early in the morning, so there was an 8-hour gap. He didn’t know how much of those 8 hours they had followed him, but Tom had barely slept and walked when the horse was tired.
He didn’t know how close the pursuers were, but once he passed this checkpoint, he was free!
As he approached the city, someone came out. It was a soldier.
The soldier shouted something, but it was in Spanish, so he couldn’t understand. Instead, Tom shouted in English.
“I’m an immigrant! I want to immigrate to Mexico!”
“…A black man alone?”
Fortunately, the soldier in the lead seemed to understand English.
“Follow me.”
Tom was led to a small but clean border town in Mexico. He was taken to the immigration office and met with someone called an immigration officer.
“What’s your name?”
“Tom… Tom Freeman.”
He didn’t have a last name. But not having a last name was the same as saying he was a slave, so Tom blurted out “Freeman” without realizing it.
“Damn it. Freeman, it sounds like a runaway slave.”
As expected, the Mexican immigration officer seemed concerned about the last name “Freeman,” but he didn’t ask if he was a slave.
Knock knock.
“We’re in a meeting!”
“Sir, Americans have come! They say they have something important to say and ask to meet you for just a moment.”
Tom didn’t understand Spanish, but he heard “Americano.” Wasn’t that American?
From then on, Tom’s heart started pounding.
“Did they chase me all the way to this Mexican office?”
“…Wait here for a moment.”
The immigration officer said that and went outside.
Tom sat still, but he could hear the murmur of voices outside.
“This is… the second son’s voice.”
Thump thump thump-
Just when he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest, he heard the second son shouting angrily, though he couldn’t hear it clearly.
“What about this! He stole our horse and food! So he’s a criminal, and he shouldn’t be allowed to immigrate!”
The second son’s voice, shouting in English, pierced through the wall and struck Tom’s chest. Tom felt his heart sink.
That’s right. Even though Mexico accepted immigrants, they didn’t accept criminals, so he should have at least thrown away the horse and food along the way. But he couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning Sam, his companion for days.
“Is this the end?”
Just as Tom thought that, he heard something different from outside. It was in English.
“Well, I haven’t seen any horse or food… Captain, have you seen anything?”
“No, I haven’t seen anything like that.”
The moment he heard that, tears welled up in Sam’s eyes. He couldn’t hear the second son’s angry words that followed.
He was finally free.
He sobbed softly.
***
“Your Majesty, this news is spreading throughout America. The reaction is much hotter than during the last joint statement.”
It was a report from the military intelligence agency.
“Sigh…”
He could still return the slave and discipline the immigration officer to salvage the situation, but should he really do that?
It’s true that Mexico has no slavery, and it’s true that after discovering illegal immigrants in the Costa Rica region during the last census, they have been carefully selecting and accepting immigrants who have come all the way to the border. But it’s also true that Tom Freeman stole a horse and food, so there is a reason to send him back.
He desperately wants to accept him, but if he just sends him back, wouldn’t it delay the war for a few months? But this one incident won’t trigger an immediate war, and it’s going to happen eventually. The worries continued endlessly.
“…What do you think we should do?”
Ricardo, the head of the military intelligence agency, spoke cautiously.
“It hasn’t been long since this happened, but the fact that this news has spread nationwide means there’s a high probability of US government involvement. It’s a strong will to make this incident a problem. In my opinion, James Polk will find a reason to make this a problem, even if it means lying.”
Diego agreed.
“That’s right. They have a history of doing this. And judging by their reaction, they won’t let this go easily if we send him back now.”
“…You’re both right.”
I made a decision.
“Diego, we’re going to carry out the second census of the Mexican Empire. Get ready.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I didn’t bother adding that I might have to activate the massive conscription law I had enacted earlier.
They would understand anyway.
“I’m going to visit Vega Defense Industries, so convey my orders to the administration and come there.”
For the first time in a long time, I headed to the Vega Defense Industries research institute.
Being able to mass-produce steel means being able to mass-produce weapons that were too expensive to mass-produce before.
It’s time to check the results.
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