Wild North America 1846

Chapter 113 Strategic Opportunity Period

The British envoy, Lord Granville-Gower, was the official diplomatic representative sent from London, acting as the interim British ambassador.

On the one hand, listen to the needs of the Tang Kingdom, and on the other hand, use the military and geopolitical influence of the Tang Kingdom to safeguard the interests of the United Kingdom in North America.

There is also a very important aspect, which is to serve as a red line in the current international mediation led by the United Kingdom and jointly participated by countries such as France, Germany and Hesseby, and is closely connected with the Datang Kingdom.

As the hegemony of the world today, the United Kingdom does not lack another red line to connect the United States and Mexico. It single-handedly dominates the Three Kingdoms War between the United States, Mexico and Tang Dynasty, which affects the entire situation in North America, thereby demonstrating its unparalleled international influence.

this age
The influential powers in Europe are all younger brothers of the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Prussia is striving to become stronger, striving to unify the southern German region where there are many vassals, and grow into a European power that can stand shoulder to shoulder with France.

For this reason, Prussia can only hold the British thigh tightly, and is planning a royal marriage in the near future to further strengthen the relationship between the two parties.

Needless to say, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, these three desolate colonial powers of the old era followed in the footsteps of the United Kingdom, showing a little disobedience, and were immediately beaten back.

early 19th century
After the French Emperor Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, Britain lost the British-occupied Spice Islands (East Indies) to the Netherlands in order to reward the Netherlands, which followed closely in the anti-government alliance.

As for Spain, which is not active and disobedient, Britain's move is to take away Spain's colonies in Central America, which is so domineering.

France, which once dominated Europe in the era of Emperor Napoleon, collapsed in front of the 7th Anti-French Coalition organized by the United Kingdom, and then fell into complex domestic struggles involving the restoration of imperial power for decades, the awakening of capitalist forces and workers' democratic forces, and civil strife continued. , the national power plummeted.

Today's France, no matter whether the Gallic rooster is willing to admit it or not, is nothing but a response to London's face.

Therefore, while the British Empire won the reputation of "European shit stirrer", it was also blessed with the halo of "European arbitrator", entering the heyday of the empire.

The international mediation led by the United Kingdom represents the strong pressure of the whole world. With the small size of the United States today, it is really hard enough to bear it.

If it weren't for Richard's tough request to annex Colorado (the capital of Denver), and claim the territorial rights and interests of the vast area from Colorado to the north to the Canadian border, the United States might have agreed to peace talks and publicly recognized the territory of the current Datang Kingdom.

The Northern Territory requested by Richard includes Colorado, Montana and Wyoming east of the Rocky Mountains, and his appetite is amazing.

How could the United States agree to such an outrageous request?

Although the land of the above-mentioned three states is vast and sparsely populated, its total population is only about 4.7, and its economic output is negligible.

But the area is too vast, and the U.S. government simply cannot bear the serious consequences of defeat and cession of territory. It can only grit its teeth against the heavy pressure of international mediation, determined to continue the war.

Looking back now, how big is the area of ​​the three states?
Colorado, where the Denver Fort is located, has an area of ​​26.7 square kilometers, ranking second among the states in the United States.

With 38 square kilometers of land, Montana is the largest state in the United States, and Wyoming ranks third with 25.3 square kilometers of land.

That is to say;

The above-mentioned three northern states are the first, second and third states in the federal territory of the United States today, with a total area of ​​more than 90 square kilometers. Today, the total area of ​​the entire United States federal territory is only a little over 600 million square kilometers.

Li Chashi opened his mouth wide, and he was about to leave 15% of the territory of the Federal Republic of America in one fell swoop. Isn't it just a dream?

Then why is Li Cha so unwise, knowing that it is impossible, instead of swearing to gamble on the future fortune of the Tang Kingdom?

Is he stupid?
Still floating?

In fact, this is not the case. Li Cha made an extremely prudent strategic decision after careful consideration. This is related to the upper limit of the development of the Tang Kingdom in the next few decades or hundreds of years, and is in line with the current interests of all parties in the world.

The current situation of the Three Kingdoms in North America is very similar to the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu that once appeared in China. The vertical and horizontal alliances that once appeared in the history of China are of great reference value for the future strategic decisions of the Tang Kingdom.

If the Tang Kingdom played the role of the Shu Kingdom, it would occupy a corner and be the weakest among the three.

Then the role of Mexico is the proper Wu State, which is the main battlefield against the invasion of the strong Wei (United States).

There is an amazing coincidence in history, but the stage has shifted from China to North America.

In the midst of the situation, what should the Tang Kingdom do?

There are several subjective factors that prompted Li Cha to ask for the lion to open his mouth;

The first is the international factor.

From the perspective of London, what I hope to see is a divided and war-torn North America; Pulling the eggs of the Yankees keeps being a demon, anyway, it will not give the United States a safe development.

Only in this way
Britain's global hegemony can be fully reflected in North America, Central America, and South America, and it can have a decisive influence on North American countries to maximize the interests of the British Empire.

Since it is a pawn, one must have the awareness of a pawn.

The value of Datang Kingdom depends on this, the degree of assistance that can be obtained also depends on this, and its strategic value and importance also depend on this.

more realistically

The Tang Kingdom is a dog raised by the United Kingdom in North America. When it needs to pounce on it and bite it, it quietly hides aside and gnaws bones. What use is it for you?

There have been similar scenes in history. The Fusang Kingdom is a dog raised by the United Kingdom in East Asia. When it needs to rush to bite the polar bear and prevent the polar bear from entering the Korean Peninsula and the three northeastern provinces, what does the Fusang Kingdom do?

The Fusang country fought an unprecedented and tragic war with polar bears, with hundreds of thousands of casualties. White flags fluttered from Tokyo to Hokkaido. Are the people of Fusang stupid?
No one in this world is a real fool. When Richard opened his mouth and made a bizarre and excessive territorial claim to the United States, the British tacitly responded warmly.

Rapidly increased the intensity of Chinese immigration, from the current monthly increase of more than 1.2 to more than 1.6. The London Parliament passed the Strengthening of the North American Immigrant Assistance Act to provide substantial subsidies to Chinese immigrants.

at the same time
Most notably, industry, military aid and trade support have been scaled up.

For a pawn that performed well and was more valuable, London did not hesitate to strengthen its aid. This is a reward.

Second, it is out of strategic considerations to support Mexico.

The so-called "dead lips and cold teeth", the relationship between the United States, Mexico and the Tang Dynasty has a strong linkage relationship. If Mexico falls, the Tang Kingdom will not feel good.

If the Tang Kingdom withdraws from the war early and hides on the sidelines to watch the fire from the other side, then Mexico will lose all its underwear soon, just like the fiasco in history.

in the original history
Mexico was not without its struggles, and President Antonio López de Santa Ana led the main army and staff to the front line, participating in every bloody battle with American troops.

It is a pity that Mexico has a deep habit of corruption and is dying of illness, and finally lost this crucial battle of national destiny.

Although the United States finally won the war, it also paid a heavy price. The casualties in the war reached more than 18000, of which 13283 were killed, and the cost was as high as 9750 million US dollars.

When the United States completely subdues Mexico and turns back to deal with the Datang Kingdom with all its strength, then it will be the day when the Datang Kingdom will be destroyed.

Under the nest, how can there be a complete egg?
The Americans knew this truth. After encountering tough nails twice in a row on the Western Front, they let go of their original arrogance and were willing to negotiate a contract with the Tang Kingdom.

If the Tang Kingdom's request is not too much, maybe the contract between the two countries has been formally concluded, and they can happily withdraw from the war and win a short-term peace.

But this peace time will not be too long. It won't be long before the Datang Kingdom will face the full-scale attack of the United States alone.

But at this time, Mexico will no longer come out to share the pressure of the war.

The Americans know this, the British know this, and Richard also knows this.

Therefore, constantly creating big troubles for the U.S. military from the flanks, provoking wars everywhere, supporting Mexico on the frontal battlefield, and reducing the pressure on the Mexican army have become important measures for Datang Kingdom to protect itself.

The third point is a valuable period of strategic opportunities.

From paper data

In 1846, the population of the United States was close to 2000 million, and its gross national product was close to 10 billion US dollars. Its national strength was a second-rate power in the world, especially its industrial and agricultural economic strength, but its military strength was relatively weak.

Mexico has a population of more than 600 million, and the Datang Kingdom has a population of 12 (note; as an immigrant country, the population has increased significantly every month), both economic output and population are far inferior to the United States.

If the two are tied together, the possibility of winning the war is extremely small.

In fact, the accounts are not calculated that way.

Both Mexico and the Tang Kingdom are engaged in domestic anti-aggression operations. Naturally, it is easy to win the support of the domestic people, and they are fighting at home. The resilience of the war against aggression cannot be underestimated.

After the Tang Kingdom won two consecutive brilliant victories, the news spread to Mexico, which aroused great enthusiasm among the local people in Mexico and caused a lot of trouble for the U.S. military. This is the outstanding linkage effect.

from a military point of view

Before the war, the United States had only more than 8700 standing soldiers. Its military capability was a major weakness.

Any small country in Europe, such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands or Bulgaria, can teach the United States how to behave in minutes. This is the gap.

So, can the economic strength of these small European countries be comparable to that of the United States?
Obviously, it is far from reaching it, but it is located in the European monster room. The military strength of these small European countries is not bad, and it is enough for the United States to drink a pot.

In the eyes of Europeans, the North American War was nothing more than pecking at each other.

A newly emerging regional force in the Tang Dynasty can make life difficult for the American army, which makes Europeans disdain American cowboys to a higher level.

In the final analysis, it is not that the Tang Kingdom is too strong, but that the military strength of the United States is really poor. The main body of the army is composed of militias, and the training time is even far less than that of the Datang Kingdom. How can they win the war?

The reason why Mexico lost can only be said to be the weak chicken among the chickens, and there is no second explanation.

The current situation in North America is a period of valuable strategic opportunities for the rise of the Tang Kingdom.

Take your fingers out and pinch;
The gross domestic product of the United States is 10 billion U.S. dollars a year. During the Mexican-American War that broke out in 1846, the western battlefield suffered major setbacks. The southern battlefield is currently not progressing smoothly, which has led to a surge in military expenditure.

The exact figure is unclear, but it certainly far exceeds the original historical spending levels.

On the western front alone, the U.S. military lost tens of thousands of soldiers, nearly 8000 carriages and more than [-] mules and horses. There are countless supplies.

After a rough stroke, the loss of 3000 million US dollars can't be stopped.

The roads built by mobilizing more than 1 laborers were abandoned halfway, the casualties of tens of thousands of soldiers and the expenses for re-war preparations are all money!

And this is only the sideline battlefield. On the main battlefield in Mexico, the United States mobilized more troops and invested a lot of materials and energy. However, in front of the Mexicans whose confidence in victory was aroused, the progress of the war was difficult.

With the current national strength of the United States, how long can it support such a costly war?
As the war suffered successive setbacks, the separatist forces in the United States became more and more arrogant. Anti-war forces and anarchism mixed into the tide of opposition to the government, which added more difficulties invisibly.

At present, the conflict between the North and the South in the United States has intensified. The conflicts between the northern states that advocate the abolition of slavery and the southern slave-holding states are irreconcilable.

The worst civil war in North American history was just beginning to emerge, and the conflicts between the two sides were further intensified and made public. Many important parliamentary bills were delayed, which made it impossible for the United States to gather all its forces and devote itself to the war.

Thanks to the democratic concept upheld by the founding fathers of the United States and the high degree of defense against military dictatorship, the US military has always maintained a very small scale and establishment, and its ability to organize large-scale battles is poor, and the overall combat effectiveness of the army is not strong.

And all this

They are all precious opportunities once in a thousand years in the Tang Kingdom. If they make good use of them, they might not be able to stage a good show of snakes swallowing elephants.

Based on the above considerations
Li Cha resolutely decided to gamble on the future of the Tang Kingdom. Once it succeeds, it will severely hit the rising national fortune of the beautiful and strong country. Don't say anything if you lose, and everything will continue as usual.

Once the precious period of strategic opportunity is lost, it is impossible to regain it.

Throughout the history of the development of the United States, it is only at this stage before taking off that the Datang Kingdom is likely to win a lot of applause with a small fortune.

In another 30 to [-] years, when the North of the United States uses force to suppress the rebellion in the South, and thoroughly clarify the separatist forces and centrifugal forces in the country, the whole country will be twisted into one rope to devote themselves to economic development, achieve economic take-off and surpass the traditional powers such as Britain, France, and Germany.

By then, it will be too late.

(End of this chapter)