Wild North America 1846

Chapter 265 Chicago Defense Line

1857-9 January 11

The enlarged imperial military and political meeting held in Fortress Omaha lasted for three consecutive days. A total of 173 people including the king's accompanying ministers and officers above brigadier general attended the meeting. The content of the meeting was kept secret.

After the meeting, various military preparations suddenly accelerated...

Chicago

This is the second largest city in the United States and the core metropolitan area of ​​the Great Lakes Industrial Zone in the United States, with rapid development.

With the 8 years of development after the war, Chicago’s industrialization process has been further accelerated and surpassed before. Thousands of factories have blossomed everywhere, occupying an increasingly important position in the northern industrial map of the United States, second only to the New York-Philadelphia metropolitan area. .

The difference from the original history is that around the outskirts of Chicago, there has been a circular line of defense combining bunkers, small and medium-sized fortresses and rivers, with a circumference of more than 50 kilometers.

in peacetime

This semi-circular line of defense formed by relying on the natural barrier of the river does not show mountains and water. If the situation changes, trenches will be dug along this line of defense, parapets will be built and barbed wire will be erected. before.

Along the back of this line of defense are many warehouses, which are full of military supplies, including wood, barbed wire, cement, steel bars, tents, shovels, etc., the amount is quite huge.

these years
The Tang Kingdom is intensively preparing for the strategic reserve pool, training reserve officers, researching and developing new weapons, practicing internal skills to temper the combat capabilities of the troops, and the Yankees are not idle.

Due to suffering from the cavalry of the Tang Kingdom during the US-Tang War, the towns around the Great Lakes with Chicago as the core generally attach importance to defense and rise to the height of national security.

At the legislative level, several states around the Great Lakes have generally imposed strict requirements on the strengthening of defense in urban construction;
Including but not limited to the outskirts of towns and cities must be masonry concrete structure, and meet the building structure strength standards, tile roofs, and the use of flammable wood is strictly prohibited.

Town planning strictly prohibits paving, sets the red line of the planning blueprint, and implements intensive construction as much as possible, focusing on 2-3 storey buildings, reducing the number of bungalows, villas and manors that occupy a lot of land, and controlling the excessive overflow of urban areas.

Cities and towns should rely on geographical advantages to build drainage channels no less than 3.5 meters wide, build control buildings at urban intersections and traffic arteries, and encourage scattered farmers to live together...

All in all, it is the fortification of town construction.

Wishes are good, but in the United States, where the spirit of democracy and freedom is at the core, it is not the case at all when it is implemented.

In addition to the large cities such as Chicago, which have abundant local financial resources and are doing well, there are also important cities on the front line against the enemy that have been allocated funds from the federal government to build corresponding defense facilities.

This is a typical case where the scar is healed and the pain is forgotten. The American democratic system has decided that if politicians elected to power dare not go against the wishes of the majority of the people and encourage or even force them to relocate, that is tantamount to political suicide.

On a large defensive position west of Chicago

This is a building that looks like a group of warehouses, but is actually a pivotal fortress for the defense of the western front. It is located on a hill with an overall elevation of about [-] meters, covering an area of ​​about [-] hectares.

There are three such large-scale defensive forts on the defensive line west of Chicago, combined with small and medium-sized defensive fortresses and bunkers, forming the main mode of defense on the western front.

this day

Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell, the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Continental Army, led a group of large and small officers here to inspect the combat readiness of the Chicago defense line.

On the fort with a wide view, Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell personally came to the imported Napoleon 20-pound gun and leaned over to check it. happily said;
"It's great. I see that there is still a lot of space in the fort. There should be more such excellent heavy artillery. The fierce artillery fire is enough to make the enemy desperate."

"Respected Chief of Staff, this is exactly what we are worried about. Now there can only be three heavy artillery pieces on a fort, and the number of shells is also small, which is not enough to exert its full power."

"I can understand your concern, General Knox, this is exactly the problem I came here to solve." Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell straightened up with a smile, and looked around at the officers , said in an encouraging tone; "Guys, the new president who is about to take office is not a stickler. He attaches great importance to the construction of the Continental Army, and you will soon see the change. It is not just a large financial appropriation for the military, And everything else, I guarantee that."

His words were applauded, and even a mischievous lieutenant officer blew a loud whistle, which made everyone laugh.

Relying on Chicago's abundant local financial resources, the Chicago defense line has been built quite solidly and reliably, which made all the US military officers present feel full of confidence, and the atmosphere was naturally relaxed and happy.

Thanks to the high-level game in Washington, Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell replaced his hapless predecessor and sat on the throne of the top military leader of the US Army. This is the time when he is in high spirits.

In the U.S. democratic system, the Secretary of Defense is a civil servant who is nominated by the U.S. President after he formally forms a cabinet. He may be a politician, a lawyer or a dentist.

Within the purview of the Minister of Defense, more attention is paid to the reform of the military system, strategic planning and appointment of officials, military academies and military formation, equipment and logistics, and other aspects.

The chief of staff of the US Continental Army is the highest military commander. Today, the US Department of Defense consists of 2 lieutenant generals, 2 major generals, 5 brigadier generals and 81 colonel officers and lieutenants. It is a small but experienced team. Officer team.

Its overall size, affected by the severely reduced financial appropriations after the war, did not exceed a hundred people, but tried to retain an excellent team of officers to avoid another hectic military expansion.

Major General Macdonald-Knox, Chicago Commander of the Federal Army, is a senior artillery officer. He once participated in the US-Mexico Tang War and the 3rd US-Tang War (Western Expedition). He grew up from a captain of the Ohio First Field Artillery Company to The senior commander of the Federal Army in Chicago has a somewhat certain view of the enemy's strength, but he is not as optimistic as the Chief of Staff.

end of inspection
When returning, Major General MacDonald-Knox pulled the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell, and said with concern; "To be honest, Mr. Mr. Nan’s possible military adventures are not optimistic. In terms of artillery equipment, the Continental Army is still the artillery technology and equipment of the Napoleonic era in the last century, and its range and power are far inferior to its opponents. I am deeply worried about this.”

"Unfortunately, this is not the answer I hope to see. General Knox, you should know that we must fight a war now. The difference is that the guns are aimed at the Southerners or the Easterners, that's all."

"At this point, I'm a staunch abolitionist, but is there no other way? Like the Mexicans or the Canadians."

"Don't get me wrong, General, the Mexicans and the Orientals have made a de facto military alliance, it doesn't matter who the guns are aimed at, it makes no difference in the end. And Canada...hehehe, Washington isn't ready for British wrath It may be that the British united with the French and the Orientals to besiege the American Federation, and even provoke the southerners to split. Never underestimate the narrow-mindedness of the British, believe me, it may be the end of the federal government .”

"Oh, God!"

"Think about it, no matter from which point of view, starting a war against the Easterners can attract domestic attention to the greatest extent, divert the conflict between the North and the South, and win us a breathing space. As long as we are careful enough not to irritate the British, The corresponding harm is minimal."

"But...King Charlie is not a fuel-efficient lamp. His army of death from hell is powerful and has been fully verified in the Crimean War. President Buchanan and the military are playing with fire, and the prospects are not promising. Be optimistic!"

"But we have no choice, man. The war is not as pessimistic as you think. In the field of infantry weapons and heavy machine guns, the equipment of the two countries is on the same level, and our cavalry has also grown. The most important thing is ... we have Absolute demographic advantage."

"Do you mean the newcomers?"

"Not exactly. Mr. Buchanan and I had a private in-depth conversation. He was deeply worried about the rapid population growth of the Datang Kingdom. Its population has soared from more than one million ten years ago to 1100 today. Yu Wan, this is the most worrying thing. It may not be long, five years, eight years or ten years, the population of the Datang Kingdom may exceed that of the federal government, and we will lose our final advantage."

"Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, do you think so too?"

"To tell you the truth... I have been convinced that now may be our last window of opportunity to defeat the Tang Kingdom. We either sit back and watch it rise in North America, or do our best to fight and drag the southerners into the water at the same time, ease and eliminate them. internal conflict."

Speaking of here
Lieutenant General Heath Caldwell's face became serious, and after walking a dozen steps forward in silence, he continued with a slight sigh; "The Kansas Civil War tore apart the conflict between the North and the South. The parliamentary proposals that have been promoted to the whole country have added fuel to the flames, and the possibility of a split between the north and the south of the federation is increasing. At this time, there is not much room left for us."

"Alas..." Major General Donna Knox wanted to say something more, but he opened his mouth and it turned into a heavy sigh.

In such an either-or situation, what else could he say?

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the US Federation is now sitting on a volcano, not one volcano, but two, one is the Eastern Volcano, and the other is the Southern Lao Volcano. If any one is not handled well, it will have unimaginable serious consequences.

Mr. Buchanan accused former President Pierce of being a poor paper-maker, and his ridicule was more heartbreaking.

The situation in North America is facing a final showdown, forcing him to play stud.

(End of this chapter)