Wild North America 1846

Chapter 198 Population and Situation in 1851
After entering 1851, the Tang Kingdom developed by leaps and bounds in various fields in the previous year, and social industry, mining, agriculture and animal husbandry economy made great progress.

Driven by round after round of Chinese gold rush immigration boom, since mid-September 1849, after the national population of the Tang Kingdom exceeded 9 million, there were two reliable transit ports in Midway Island and Hawaii, and the immigration boom reached a new level. steps.

By the end of 1850, the national population had reached 288.95, just one step away from a population of 300 million.

At the end of February 1851, the national population officially exceeded the 2 million mark, the proportion of the Chinese population further increased to 300%, and the white and Mexican population accounted for 78.3% (the indigenous Indian population and prisoners of hard labor camps were not counted).

Of course, also see;
Three years after the Datang Kingdom signed a peace treaty with the United States, the population of the United States continued to grow by leaps and bounds, from less than 2000 million to 2477 million. Due to the high population base and the wide range of European immigrants, the absolute number of population growth was almost that of the Datang Kingdom. double.

Entering 1851

It was also the second year of the Tang-Mexican War. As the cavalry of the Tang Kingdom ravaged the central and southern states of Mexico, burning, killing and looting everywhere, a large number of Mexican refugees were forced to leave their homes and gathered around Mexico City, forming a massacre of more than 2 million people. Mexican refugee influx.

For such a large-scale refugee wave, the corrupt and inefficient Mexican government once again showed great incompetence and sat back and watched the crisis unfold step by step, which led to the outbreak of the catastrophic "Mexico Famine".

According to incomplete statistics
From January to March 1851 alone, as many as 1 people were killed due to hunger and disease. Hunger was everywhere around Mexico City, like a hell on earth.

The situation in Mexico City is also not optimistic. A large number of poor and hungry people are struggling on the verge of life and death, while those upper class and big manor owners are singing and dancing every night, and they are drunk with money, regardless of the life and death of the people at the bottom.

By the end of March 1851, the newly built Central Railway continued to send recruits to the southern front. Aguas Calientes successively received 3 Chinese recruits from 3 divisions.

So far, the Kingdom of Datang has assembled an army of 1.2 in Aguascaliente, including three cavalry divisions, three infantry divisions, and two Mexican servant divisions (a total of 3.75 people), hoarding a large amount of military supplies , the preparations for the Battle of Mexico City are all in place.

"Don't worry, the official attack will be launched before the summer harvest, that is, in June." Li Cha said with a determined expression.

In the temporary palace, the three cavalry division commanders, three infantry division commanders and Colonel Chen Chuan, the commander of the royal bodyguard cuirassier regiment, who had completed the military operation of the last stage, all gathered in the Royal Palace to participate in the military aircraft.

Li Cha teased the two fierce tigers lying beside him with a relaxed expression. These are young and strong tigers bred in the palace, and are the pets of His Majesty the King.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean..." Colonel Tian Mantun of the First Cavalry Division asked tentatively.

Li Cha glanced at the crowd, and told Colonel Chen Chuan who was standing beside him, "Since everyone is wondering, why don't you strike while the iron is hot and conquer Mexico City in one fell swoop, then tell everyone the truth of "It's never too late for a good meal." In war, relaxation is the kingly way."

"I obey, Your Majesty." Chen Chuan respectfully accepted the order.

Then he stood up a few steps, made a group bow, and then pointed to the large map hanging on the hall and said;
"I would like to obey the holy order to discuss the upcoming battle of Mexico City with my colleagues in the army, and try to use it as a way to attract jade.

The humble minister is dull, and it is not enough to understand the holy will.

If it is superficial, I would like to ask my colleagues in the army to testify.

From a strategic point of view;

Our army is growing stronger, the domestic economy is prosperous, industry, agriculture and animal husbandry are developing rapidly, and the large cotton plantations mainly in New Mexico and Chihuahua are beginning to see scale. The advantage lies in me.

However, Mexico’s national strength was declining day by day, disasters continued, and the soldiers had no fighting spirit. By the end of March, the spring famine had caused a large number of people in Mexico to starve to death, and many states in the central and southern states had no harvest.

Although American public opinion is rambunctious, they have maintained caution and restraint in the military field, and have not found any obvious military expansion and armament enhancement actions, which is conducive to us exchanging time for space, so as to maximize the benefits of geowarfare and put the greatest pressure on the Mexicans. .

European countries such as Britain, France, and Spain are far away and have different interests. Judging from the current situation, it is impossible to have a substantial impact on the military operations of the Tang Kingdom.

Although London has been highly critical recently, considering that it has just experienced an unprecedentedly tragic "Irish potato crisis", it has only slightly eased since the second half of last year, and Ireland has lost a quarter of its population.

Therefore, we can actually ignore this double standard.

The purpose of this war is to weaken the enemy's population and size. In view of this, the summer harvest from the end of June to the beginning of July this year will become the focus.

On the one hand, we must ensure the income from sowing the land in the northern occupied areas, mobilize as many people as possible to grab the harvest quickly, return the grains to the warehouse, ensure the harvest of cotton and grain crops, and protect the interests of Chinese immigrants.

on the other hand
Starting from late May, the kingdom will gather the strength of five cavalry divisions to launch a large-scale "rural clearing operation" against towns and vast rural areas in central and southern Mexico.

The purpose of "Operation Rural Clearance" was to crack down on Mexican civil resistance organizations, burn field crops, and drive and deter more Mexican refugees from fleeing to the capital, Mexico City.

Early September
His Majesty will personally lead the main army of the kingdom to the south, go to Mexico City to confront the enemy, contain the main force of the Mexican army, and create a favorable environment for the "Rural Clearing Operation".

The purpose of war is to..."

Hearing Colonel Chen Chuan's explanation, all the senior military officers suddenly realized, and respectfully called "Your Majesty the Holy Spirit".

King Richard's move was a conspiracy. After more than a year of war, the total population of Mexico has dropped to below 460 million, which has dealt a heavy blow to its overall national strength.

In a few more months of confrontation, half of the country's population, that is, more than 220 million Mexican refugees, will be displaced. If the summer harvest is missed, the Mexicans who have no food can only drink northwest wind. How much will be left?
Throughout the history of countries around the world
The number of casualties of soldiers during wars is often less than a small part of the number of civilian deaths, because the number of low-level civilians who died from the spread of war and disease is often ten times or even dozens of times that of soldiers on the battlefield.

Li Cha knew that Mexicans were very fertile. In later generations, the total population of the country exceeded 1.2 million. Tens of millions of Mexicans crossed the border and entered the United States, which became a major problem that could not be resolved for decades between the United States and Mexico.

The case for people crossing the border in Mexico is strong;
California, Texas, and New Mexico were all Mexican territory, and we just went back to our own home.

Now give him half of the middle, maybe there won't be so many people in 150 years, right?

None of the military officers present could have imagined that His Majesty was thinking so far. After discussing for a while, he left the palace.

Li Cha stretched out his hand and scratched the soft and smooth hair of the sitting tiger, and the two tigers on the left and the right stretched out their heads against him affectionately, like well-behaved kittens.

At this time, Li Cha's eyes looking into the distance looked deep and wise.

The Tang Kingdom did not invest many troops on the front line. The agricultural output of the seven states in northern Mexico could fully supply this small army. The only bulk materials that needed to be transported were weapons and ammunition. Large railway, so it has the conditions for long-term military confrontation.

Fortunately, he decided to fight against Mexico decisively, and now he has seen more huge benefits than he imagined.

This bite is really sizzling and oily!

In Guatemala, Central America, Tang and Mexico have been in secret contact through the channels of the local government, looking for the possibility of concluding a war contract.

The Kingdom of Datang is not forgiving, and has always insisted on ceding the territories of the seven northern states. After winning the Battle of Taniguchi, it added the state of Aguascaliente as its own reward, which is the northern and central parts of Mexico. The eight states of the country have a total area of ​​8 square kilometers.

At the beginning

The Mexican government categorically refused, and the bargaining chip offered was to cede the land of the three northern states, with a total area of ​​about 57.3 square kilometers, and Datang Kingdom would pay a certain amount for the sale of the land.

The positions of the two sides were very different, and the negotiators of Datang Kingdom were extremely tough. They threw the negotiation text in front of the Mexicans and said, "You can only say OK or continue to fight. The longer the delay, the greater the price you will pay." .”

In the later period, the position of the Mexican negotiators softened, saying that the seven northern states are not impossible to negotiate, the key is the conditions.

That is, they demanded large sums of money.

The current Mexican government has been divided in essence, facing the crisis of a serious civil war. President Santayo is just a puppet who bears the blame.

The two factions fought so fiercely that the Mexican government was unable to make a decision to end the war. It also directly led to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in Mexico City, which aroused strong dissatisfaction in the central and southern states of Mexico, and civil uprisings continued one after another.

And all this aggravated the deep disaster in Mexico.

if history doesn't change

Mexico's secession would be inevitable, falling into a full-blown civil war in 1860.

The Kingdom of Tang Dynasty was born and invaded the northern part of Mexico. The extreme corruption of the Mexican government and a series of miscalculations, combined with the constant struggle for selfish interests, led to the current "Mexico City Famine" spreading and intensifying, which further intensified the internal crisis.

Li Cha is carefully deliberating whether to postpone the decision to send the whole army southward in early June. Considering the severe situation the Mexican government is currently facing, they may not last until the end of the year.

If the Mexican Civil War breaks out early, this will give the Kingdom of Tang the opportunity to make a move, bypassing the state of Monterrey, which belongs to the United States, and obtain a piece of precious territory adjacent to the sea in the Gulf of Mexico.

Or promote the division of Mexico and make it a few small countries in Central and North America, completely cutting off future troubles.

under consideration
In fact, this kind of plan is not appropriate. First of all, the states in central and southern Mexico are extremely fragmented. The territory of each state is small and dense.

Even if Datang Kingdom bypassed Monterey State to obtain such a small piece of territory adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, it would not have much practical significance.

War time
The United States can easily cut off the territory of dozens of square kilometers leading to the Gulf of Mexico, and the U.S. naval fleet can concentrate all its efforts to block the sea area, which will not play a role in sustaining the war and connecting the European maritime trade line.

Going too far in Mexico will cause strong dissatisfaction in London.

Britain's North American policy is a "three-country balance", that is, the United States, the Tang Kingdom and Mexico check each other, so that no one will become bigger, which will lead to an imbalance of power in North America.

The Tang Kingdom is not afraid that the 10,000+ British army troops will intervene across the ocean, and the calculation-savvy British will bleed and die for the Mexicans. This possibility is not even 1/10000.

The key is that Britain, as the world's hegemon, has too much political, economic and military influence, and it can turn its hands into clouds and rain without a single soldier.

There are too many choices in the London entrainment, which can force Datang Kingdom to bow its head.

Just restricting trade with Europe, Datang Kingdom can't bear it with its current small size, let alone other things?
The Datang Kingdom cannot act at the risk of losing the support of the United Kingdom. Otherwise, once the United Kingdom turns to ease relations with the United States, the Datang Kingdom will be in danger.

From this, Richard thought of Sir Henry John Temple, the Foreign Secretary in the London cabinet, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

This man has always been hostile to the Datang Kingdom. Last year, he was the one who took the lead in the letter of inquiry issued by the British government regarding the two events that the Datang Kingdom successively occupied Hawaii and facilitated the surrender of Panama.

Sir Henry John Temple is a very influential figure in the British Whig Party. He is only 43 years old this year. If he follows the original historical track in the years to come, he will serve as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for two terms.

With his hostile attitude towards the Tang Kingdom, I'm afraid the future is not good!

Part of the reason why Li Cha planned his trip to Europe was due to this person. He wanted to find a suitable opportunity during his visit to Europe, so he personally took care of him.

Others certainly don't have such extraordinary skills, but he is fine. As long as he makes a reasonable plan, Richard is very sure that he can escape safely, and the British will not put doubts on himself.

After all, Sir Henry John Temple has always been known for his sharp views, and there are countless opponents in the political arena.

If it is arranged as an accident, then it will be no problem.

Whenever I think that the British Prime Minister is a tough white supremacist, he has natural hostility towards Orientals and other nations, and this is very likely to be reflected in the foreign policy implemented by the UK, which is extremely detrimental to the Tang Kingdom.

In order to eliminate the uncertain risk factors in the future development of Datang Kingdom, it is worth taking the risk.

Considering the anger and dissatisfaction of the current London government, as the king of the Tang Kingdom, it is very necessary for Richard to go to England sometime after the war to dispel doubts and show loyalty.

Thus

The North American king's pilgrimage will help the face of the British Empire be well maintained, and London's dissatisfaction will naturally disappear, the rift will be bridged, and the two countries will be reconciled as before.

(End of this chapter)