1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 719: Deindustrialize and Demilitarize Wisconsin

With Wisconsin and the British Canadian colonies providing blood transfusions to the Union Army in Minnesota, it is no wonder that the Minnesota troops did not make as much progress as expected.

Unlike Minnesota, which is less developed, Wisconsin has an earlier history of development and is more developed.

Although Wisconsin was not granted statehood until 1848, it was only two years earlier than California.

But this does not mean that Wisconsin met the criteria for statehood in 1848.

The main reason why Wisconsin was established late was that the North and the South delayed the establishment of some new states in order to maintain a balance of seats in the Senate.

By 1861, Wisconsin was already a large state with a population of 80 and relatively developed industry.

At that time, the total population actually controlled by the American Republic in the Great Plains region was only 40. Including the pro-American Republic Great Plains indigenous tribes, the total population was only more than , which was less than the population of Wisconsin alone.

If we use a not very rigorous standard to draw lines between the states under the Northern Federation to distinguish the overall strength of each state.

New York is undoubtedly a strong first-tier state, and Pennsylvania and Ohio are first-tier states.

Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Illinois are second-tier states.

Wisconsin is a third-tier state roughly on the same level as Connecticut and Michigan.

Underdeveloped frontier states like Minnesota are ranked at the bottom of the fourth-tier states.

In view of this, and taking into account the cost of occupation and rule, the top leaders of the American Republic did not list Wisconsin as a target of conquest.

Western leaders also unanimously agreed that occupying Minnesota was the limit of western expansion at this stage.

"The war in Kansas is over. Since Wisconsin is giving a blood transfusion to Minnesota, I don't mind pulling out Wisconsin's sharp teeth as well." Liang Yao looked at Kruger, "What other troops can we mobilize?"

"The 102nd Brigade, the Jinshan Militia Brigade, the Sacramento Militia Brigade, the Engineer Regiment, two artillery regiments and two Guangxi regiments can be deployed." Kruger counted his belongings in his mind.

"The fighting in South Dakota and North Dakota is over, and the First Cavalry Regiment can be used."

"That's enough. We need to formulate a battle plan for Wisconsin immediately. If we don't bleed Wisconsin, we won't be able to take Minnesota. Even if we do, we won't be safe." Liang Yao said firmly and decisively.

The Jinshan Militia Brigade and the Sacramento Militia Brigade are two of the three strongest militia brigades.

The two militia brigades were previously sent to the Kansas area to fight because of the Yankee Maine Brigade and mercenary regiments operating in Kansas.

Since the two powerful Northern Army forces, the Maine Brigade and the Mercenary Corps, had already withdrawn from Kansas, there was no need to keep so many elite Western Army troops garrisoned in the Kansas region.

Furthermore, if they do not take care of Wisconsin, deindustrialize and demilitarize Wisconsin, and eliminate its war potential, even if they occupy Minnesota, their rule over Minnesota in the West will not be stable in the future.

"This"

When Kruger heard that Liang Yao was going to use troops against Wisconsin, he was very hesitant, but in the end he decided to persuade Liang Yao.

"Your Excellency, with all due respect, Wisconsin is not like Minnesota, and occupying Wisconsin is not a wise move."

"General Kruger means that one regular brigade and two elite militia brigades are not enough to take over Wisconsin?" Liang Yao asked back.

"Of course we can take it!" Kruger said, "The key to the problem is that Wisconsin is not a frontier state. It has a large population and is a Republican state. Even if we occupy Wisconsin, our local garrison will be deeply mired in the resistance of the local military and civilians.

So I think occupying Wisconsin would do more harm than good.

The Omaha Corps had been destroyed, and it was now difficult for the Union Army to organize a standing armed force of two brigades.

Kruger had no doubt that the three elite infantry brigades of the Western Army could indeed take Wisconsin. He believed in the strength of his army.

Kruger's biggest headache was to take over Wisconsin and how to maintain the occupation and effective rule of Wisconsin. "Who said I want to occupy Wisconsin?" Liang Yao laughed, "Let our troops cross the river into Wisconsin, demolish the railway docks in Wisconsin, destroy the factories in Wisconsin, and burn the farms in Wisconsin. After completing the task, we can withdraw our troops."

As he spoke, Liang Yao picked up a pencil, drew a circle in the forest and lake area in north-central Wisconsin (now Vilas and Oneida counties), and added.

"Of course, we need to analyze each case individually. North-central Wisconsin is sparsely populated, with a total population of less than 5000. We are still capable of directly occupying these areas. Grant County is the most important source of lead and zinc raw materials in the Northern Federation. Although there are elite troops stationed there from Wisconsin, we must also take it."

Wisconsin's population is large, but it is not evenly distributed.

Wisconsin's most densely populated areas are located in the following areas:

Milwaukee County is located in the southeastern lake and port corridor. The city of Milwaukee in the county is a shipping hub for the Great Lakes and the largest industrial center in the state. Its beer brewing, leather making and machinery manufacturing industries are relatively developed.

The city of Waukesha in Milwaukee County is a railroad transfer station, connecting the material distribution centers of Chicago and Madison.

Most of the wheat, timber, military boots, and horse harnesses that Wisconsin supplied to the Northern Army were shipped to the east through these two transportation hubs, one by water and one by land.

Wisconsin's remaining densely populated areas are Dane and Rock counties in the southern agricultural belt, Brown County in the eastern river hub, and Grant County in the western mining belt.

It is worth mentioning that Grant County's lead and zinc mining accounts for 15% of the total in the United States, and is an important source of raw materials for the Union Army's ammunition factories, with extremely high military value. For this reason, the Union stationed the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment here to protect the safety of the Grant County mines.

"Your Excellency, that's a good idea! I'll make a battle plan right away!" Kruger no longer objected.

His Excellency the President is still sober and has not lost himself in the glorious victory of expanding territory.

Kruger was also worried that Liang Yao would get carried away and take over both Wisconsin and Illinois.

Kruger was very lucky to work for a leader who could keep a cool head and make wise judgments and decisions in the midst of a glorious victory.

"president."

Liang Yao had just left the Omaha Camp's command center when a familiar voice came from behind him.

Liang Yao looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was his uncle Liang Shaoyu.

Liang Shaoyu is the chairman of the Immigration Committee, responsible for coordinating immigration work in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and other places.

During the Battle of Omaha, Liang Shaoyu moved his camp to Pratt, where he was responsible for commanding the rear and arranging and transporting military supplies for the troops on the front line.

"Uncle, you've had a hard time these days. Let's go back and talk."

Liang Yao noticed that Liang Shaoyu's temples were all gray. He remembered that when Liang Shaoyu first came to Jinshan and worked as a housekeeper in Tingtao Garden, Liang Shaoyu still had black hair.

It seems that the chairman of the Immigration Committee has an extremely heavy workload and pressure.

As the head of a country, Liang Yao has his own carriage, but the infrastructure in Omaha is very poor and there are only a few decent roads. Therefore, Liang Yao usually prefers to travel on horseback and rarely rides in a carriage.

After arriving at the headquarters and sitting down, Liang Shaoyu said, "I have organized the first batch of immigrants to the central border areas in Pratt, and we are just waiting for your order to leave."

Previously, because the central border area was a war zone, the border was not opened to immigrants to allow them to enter the Great Plains due to concerns about their safety.

Now, except for Minnesota, the war in other central frontier areas is almost over.

Although there are still some sporadic remnants of the Northern Army active, they are unlikely to cause any significant damage.

It's time to flip the switch and open the frontier regions to immigration.

"How many immigrants are there in this group?" Liang Yao asked.

(End of this chapter)