1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 738 No Choice

As Robert Lee expected, the Confederate Army had a strong mass base in Maryland, while the Northern Union was very unpopular in Maryland due to its radical actions at the beginning of the year.

Not only Baltimore, but residents of other parts of Maryland also welcomed the arrival of the Confederate Army.

The Confederate Army took control of the entire state of Maryland with almost no effort.

With the support of local people in Maryland, in mid-December, the Confederate Army set up camp and tents on the south bank of the Susquehanna River and built a defense line to prevent the Union Army from moving south.

As a result, the Northern and Southern armies faced off across the Susquehanna River.

At the same time, the northern federal government, which had moved its capital to Philadelphia, was intensively planning the next phase of its plan.

The fall of the capital Washington brought the Lincoln administration's reputation to its lowest point.

Lincoln also fell from being supported by the people during the election to being hated by everyone like a rat crossing the street.

Even the New York Post, a newspaper that had originally had an ambiguous attitude towards the Republican Party, blatantly published reactionary headlines such as "Lincoln Steps Down," "We Choose the Democratic Party," and "We Support Douglas."

If Douglas had not known the big picture and understood that this was not the time to fight and re-elect the president, and had not supported Lincoln without reservation, Lincoln would have stepped down by now.

Lincoln and his cabinet knew that they could no longer afford another military defeat.

They need a victory to prove the legitimacy of the current government.

Otherwise, the next time there is public unrest, Douglas will not have enough reasons or confidence to continue to lend a hand.

On a snowy winter day, Philadelphia was gently covered by a layer of white snow, and the streets seemed particularly quiet in the bleak and cold wind.

Philadelphia's Independence Hall, a red brick building that bears the memory of the birth of America, stands quietly in the snow. Its Georgian-style architectural lines are even clearer under the silver, and the milky white doors and windows and the bell tower on the top of the tower glimmer in the winter sun.

The square in front of the Independence Palace was covered with thick snow, and pedestrians occasionally walked by, leaving deep footprints. The Liberty Bell in the square hung silently, and the cracks on the bell remained.

The trees around the square had already lost their leaves, and their branches were shaking in the biting cold wind.

The First and Second Continental Congresses were held in this two-story Georgian-style red brick building in September 1774 and May 9.

The famous Continental Congress, composed of representatives from 13 British American colonies, was also held here. On July 1776, 7, the Declaration of Independence drafted by Jackson was passed here, announcing the separation of the North American colonies from Britain.

This day is also designated as Independence Day by the United States of America.

Going back in time, this was the official residence of the British North American colonial government in Pennsylvania.

This building carries too many historical memories of the birth of this country.

But contrary to everyone's expectations, the Independence Palace, which is regarded as a historical monument, will one day resume its original function.

Lincoln, tall, slightly hunched and with a haggard face, stood blankly in the empty Independence Hall, staring at the portraits of several founding fathers, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and John Rutledge, hanging on the wall.

These predecessors created the United States, and what he has to do now is exactly the same as what these predecessors did.

He wants to rebuild the United States and lead it to higher heights.

But it seems that the path he is taking is not smooth.

In just half a year, he reduced the United States of America from the fourth largest country in the world, spanning two oceans and with a land area second only to the British Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Qing Empire, to a medium-sized country.

Did you do something wrong?

After moving awkwardly from the White House to Independence Hall, Lincoln, who had always been firm and confident, began to doubt himself rarely.

"Seward, many of our predecessors were also slave owners. Do you think what we are doing is right?" Lincoln looked straight at the portrait of George Washington on the wall and asked Secretary of State Seward unexpectedly.

"Abraham, for us politicians, there is no right or wrong, only success and failure." Seward pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly with a meaningful tone.

"Their mission was to keep the United States alive first. As for what form and state it would survive in, that was not something their generation had to consider."

"Survive first. That's a good point." Lincoln chewed on Seward's words carefully. Suddenly, he felt enlightened and asked Seward.

"Is the French ambassador here again today? This French guy is like a follower, following us all the way from Washington to Philadelphia."

Before this, Lincoln had always wanted to have both the South and the West.

As a result, he lost sight of one thing while focusing on another, and finally both lines collapsed. In a desperate situation, he finally figured it out and made up his mind. You can only gain something if you give up something.

If he can't even keep his presidency, no matter how ambitious his plans and perfect ideas are, they will be nothing but castles in the air.

"Abraham, have you thought it through?" Lincoln's mention of the French ambassador surprised Seward.

Since France formed an alliance with the West, the French ambassador has come to the presidential residence every few days to put pressure on Lincoln, saying that it is for peace in America.

In reality, it was just facilitating peace talks between the North and the West at the request of the allies.

To be honest, Seward was also disgusted by the French's behavior.

However, Seward, who was in charge of foreign affairs, was also very clear about it.

Making peace with the West temporarily now is undoubtedly beneficial to the Northern Federation.

Although restricted by objective factors, the Westerner's army has shown no signs of continuing to advance eastward.

But he didn't dare to gamble. If the Yankees continued to move eastward, their next target would only be Illinois.

If even Illinois is lost, it will not only be the face of the Republican Party that is lost, but also the entire central frontier region. By then, the situation in the central frontier region will be truly irreversible.

Without Illinois, it would be difficult for the Northern Union Army to find a fulcrum for counterattack in the central frontier area in the future.

Maybe it's because of the excessive pressure in the past six months, or maybe it's because I can't accept the fact of failure.

Lincoln had always been reluctant to discuss peace talks with the West. After all, Lincoln was born and raised on the frontier, and the frontier region held great importance in his heart.

The fact that Lincoln took the initiative to talk about the French ambassador today shows that Lincoln's ideas have loosened and he is no longer so stubborn.

"As you said, we have to survive first before we have the right to consider other things." Lincoln said with relief.

"Peace talks involve a lot of pressure. Do we have to wait until our army wins a battle before we formally send out the signal for peace talks with the West?" Seward asked.

"It's not peace talks, it's a ceasefire. Liang Yao is a smart man. He should know that this is an acceptable result for both the North and the West." Lincoln shook his head and said, "We can't delay it any longer. I'm worried that if we continue to delay, the barbarians in the South will cross the Susquehanna River. We can't lose the next war.

Our generals and soldiers cannot carry baggage with them to the battlefield. We should solve their worries and let them go to the battlefield without distraction. "

"I understand." Seward nodded. A ceasefire could achieve the same effect and also leave a trace of dignity for the United States, showing the people that the government has no determination to give up the territory in the frontier areas. The people would also be more receptive.

"Who should we send to negotiate a ceasefire with the Yankees?"

"Send Fillmore. The West grew stronger during his tenure. There is no more suitable candidate than him." Lincoln said coldly.

"I heard that his manor on the Hudson River in New York is very luxurious, and he often shows off the California Star Liang Yao gave him to his guests. He left the mess to us and became a retired rich man. His life is very comfortable."

Fillmore was born a sharecropper, and he started out as a freeloader, so he always lived a rather hard life.

Since meeting Liang Yao, he has been living a luxurious life like an upper-class person.

With Fillmore's financial resources, he naturally could not afford to purchase an estate on the Hudson Bay River in New York.

The California Star is the largest natural gold nugget ever mined in California, and Liang Yao gave it as a gift more out of symbolic significance.

Fillmore was able to live in his estate on the Hudson Bay River in New York without selling the California Star. The gold and silver he privately received from the Westerners during his tenure must have been very significant.

"What if he doesn't want to go?" Seward was a little worried. "The former president was not very happy to persuade the West to stay in the Union before."

Fillmore had already gotten away with it, so there was no need for him to get involved in this mess.

If you put yourself in Seward's shoes, if he were Fillmore, he would definitely not want to go to the West as a representative of the Union to negotiate a ceasefire with the Yankees.

"It's not up to him to go or not," Lincoln said, pausing between words.

"He has so many stains on his body, yet he still dreams of getting away with it. What a joke!"

My new book "1848 Qing Dynasty Charcoal Burner" has been published on Qidian Chinese website. I have finally made progress this year and rewarded myself with double ex-publication.

(End of this chapter)