Wild North America 1846

Chapter 374 Territory Area of ​​the Great Tang Empire
The royal train speeding eastward is driving on the vast plains of central North America, leaving towns behind.

In this endless black land, there are countless Chinese farms, manors and pastures, which are now the big granaries of the Tang Empire rich in agricultural products, and the real production potential is being tapped out little by little.

It can be seen from the statistical report of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Empire;

The total amount of various agricultural and animal husbandry products has shown a straight-line soaring trend, such as cattle, sheep, mules, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks and poultry, meat, egg and dairy products, wheat, rice, oats, soybeans, rapeseed, potatoes, corn, etc. The total output of various agricultural products soared in a straight line, and some rose by as much as 3 to 5 times.

A super granary with an area of ​​more than one million square kilometers in the Central Great Plains of North America, with only 3200 to [-]% of its production potential, is enough to supply the rich agricultural and animal husbandry products for the more than [-] million people of the Datang Empire, and has a strong export capacity .

This is a world-class agricultural and animal husbandry production base. It was the trump card used by the United States to dominate the world agricultural market in history. It is enough to meet the needs of 5 to 6 million people. Now it is in the hands of the Datang Empire. What is there to be dissatisfied with? Woolen cloth?

Li Cha's staring eyes for a long time withdrew from the car window, and on the elegant and luxurious royal train, tall memorials from various places were placed on the desk.

At this critical moment when the overall situation in North America is initially determined, there are many important matters that need to be decided by His Majesty the Emperor himself.

The North American War reorganized the situation of the entire North American continent. After the defeat of the United States of America (North), its territory was ruthlessly divided and became the smallest country.

According to the harsh post-war territorial division conditions of the North American Peace Treaty, the United States of America (North) was completely dismembered, with 92% loss of agricultural production capacity, 77.4% loss of industrial production capacity, and 87% loss of mineral resources. The total population size was only before the war. 39.6%, the status of the country plummeted.

After the war, its total area is about 57.5 square kilometers, including 12 states, the largest of which is New York State with an area of ​​12.2 square kilometers, followed by Pennsylvania with an area of ​​11.6 square kilometers, and Ohio with a total area of ​​10.06 square kilometers. The area of ​​the other 9 states is very small. Among the 4 states with the lowest area, New Jersey is 1.9 square kilometers, Connecticut is 1.25 square kilometers, Delaware is 5060 square kilometers, and Rhode Island is only 2706 square kilometers.

On the other hand, after defeating the enemy, the Confederate States of America, after acquiring Kentucky and West Virginia, there are a total of 16 states, including Texas, the largest state in the North American continent. The area of ​​a single state is as high as 67.8 square kilometers. grow further.

The total area of ​​the 16 states of the Confederate States of America is as high as 252.6 million square kilometers. This is because the southern states are generally larger in area. There are 10 states with an area of ​​more than 14 square kilometers. For example, South Dakota covers an area of ​​196540 square kilometers, and North Dakota covers 178 square kilometers, Oklahoma covers an area of ​​647 square kilometers, and the area of ​​these states is not small.

The biggest harvest is naturally the Datang Empire, which dominated the entire North American war. During the war, it successively acquired the land of Kyushu. Except for the total 26.7 square kilometers of Monterrey and Tijuana that originally belonged to Mexico, it was cut off from the United States of America. eight central states.

They are Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Iowa, Indiana and Kansas, with a total area of ​​126.2 million square kilometers.

If the 26.7 square kilometers of Monterey and Tijuana are added, the North American War will expand the ten states to 153 million square kilometers.

So far, the total territory of the Tang Empire has expanded from 860.6 million square kilometers to 1013.6 million square kilometers, surpassing the 851 million square kilometers of Brazil in South America. It has become the largest country in the Americas and reached the heyday of the empire.

Looking back at history
In the US-Tang War that ended in 1849, the Datang Kingdom ceded the land of the six northwestern states of the United States through treaties, with a total area of ​​147.7 million square kilometers. With an area of ​​301 million square kilometers, it is the third largest country in the Americas (including North, South and Central America) after Brazil and the United States.

In September 1851, after the "Mexico Treaty" was signed, the Tang Kingdom annexed eight southern Mexican states, and the total area increased from 9 million square kilometers to 449 million square kilometers (note, the increased figure includes 559.3 square kilometers in Hawaii Province, Panama province of 1.75 square kilometers).

Later, by purchasing from the Tsarist Russian Empire, another 171.7 million square kilometers of Alaska was obtained, bringing the territory of the Tang Kingdom to 731 million square kilometers, reaching a new milestone.

After this
The Tang Empire successively obtained 78 square kilometers of Paradise Island (New Guinea Island), colonized Costa Rica and obtained 5.1 square kilometers of territory, and successively obtained the annexation of Mexico and the Aztec Republic, a total increase of 45.9 square kilometers of land. , expanding the territory of the empire to 860.6 million square kilometers.

post american war

As the victor, the Tang Empire ceded the ten states of the United States of America, with a total area of ​​153 million square kilometers, and expanded its territory to 1013.6 million square kilometers, making it second only to the British Empire, the French Dynasty, and the Tsarist Russian Dynasty. The fifth largest empire in the world after the Qing dynasty.

Taking a deep breath, Li Cha leaned back in his chair contentedly, lit a mellow top-quality Cuban cigar and enjoyed it.

In his hand is a warm congratulatory letter from the Brazilian Emperor Pedro II of the Braganza Dynasty.

The congratulatory letter said;

I would like to extend the most sincere greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty with the highest royal etiquette, and congratulate the world-renowned and legendary emperor His Majesty Richard on another brilliant war victory, which will have a profound impact on North America and even the entire America.

Pedro II just rightly expressed his envy for the great military power of the Tang Empire, because the Brazilian Empire also had a war over Uruguay. Unfortunately, Uruguay became independent after the defeat. It cost 1.2 million Cruzados in vain, and the army sacrificed 8000 Yu people.

Compared with the emperor Richard of the Tang Empire, who was victorious in the Southern and Northern Wars, the emperor of Brazil, the five scumbags in the South American war, expressed his envy and regarded him as an idol in his heart.

one more word

South America is also experiencing frequent regional disputes. Uruguay, Paraguay, and neighboring Chile, which are sandwiched between the two major countries of Brazil and Argentina, are not fuel-efficient lights, and the contradictions between them are extremely deep.

say something bad
If a war involving several countries breaks out in South America tomorrow, it is not surprising at all. The enemy may be Paraguay, Chile, or Uruguay. The chaotic situation in South America is so evil.

Although Brazil is a large empire with a population of tens of millions, its rule is corrupt and its military is weak. Paraguay, which has a population of just over 30 next door, does not take the Brazilian Empire seriously. The second generation felt very shameless.

The reason why Richard paid attention to the situation in South America was inseparable from the colonial expansion strategy of the second phase of the Tang Empire.

Because the focus of the expansion of the empire in the next stage is the Kingdom of Patagonia in southern Argentina. This is a kingdom established mainly by the Mapuche Indian nomads, occupying more than 190 million square kilometers of land in the southernmost part of South America.

The current total population of Argentina is about 150 million, mainly gathered around the Interprovincial Republic with the province of Buenos Aires at its core, and its territory is less than one third of that of later generations.

ten years later
Argentines would organize desert expeditions, use advanced western rifles to conquer the regime established by the Mapuche, and expand the country to the southernmost part of South America. Now they don't have that ability.

Because the Argentines are also facing the challenge of Paraguay. Speaking of which, these are all issues left over from history. However, due to the different positions of the parties and the different perspectives of the issue, irreconcilable disputes naturally emerged.

For example, Argentina, as the core of the former Viceroyalty of La Plata, Spain, has been trying to inherit Spain's rule in the region after independence, and include Paraguay and other countries into its own territory.

Therefore, it has been 50 years since Paraguay's independence, and Argentina refuses to recognize it at all, only thinking that Paraguay is its own territory.

Brazil's northern neighbor has less appetite, and they are only targeting the Mato Grosso region in northern Paraguay.

but that doesn't work either

This is because the Mato Grosso area is rich in yerba mate tea, which is loved by Europeans. It has always been the lifeblood of Paraguay. How can others covet the money bags for European foreign trade exports?
Therefore, the two neighbors, one north and one south, have always harbored ill intentions towards him. As a small landlocked country, Paraguay naturally maintains a high degree of vigilance. The relationship between them is quite bad, and they are almost on the verge of war.

Paraguay declared its independence in May 1811, officially ending nearly 5 years of Spanish rule.

After independence, Paraguay is said to be in charge of its own country, but life is actually not easy because its geographical environment is too bad.

Not to mention that Paraguay is deeply inland and has no outlet to the sea. The La Plata area where it is located is still a powder keg.

The La Plata region is a large plain with abundant rainfall, fertile land, and rich products. It is almost like the Great Plains in the middle of North America. How can the two neighbors in the south and the north not be greedy?

For a long time, the La Plata region has been a battleground for military strategists.

As early as the colonial era, this place was the place where the two colonial empires of Portugal and Spain secretly wrestled. After the independence of South America, it became the game field of South American duo Brazil and Argentina.

Paraguay is in the gap between the two countries, and life is miserable!
in particular

In addition to facing the threat of its two neighbors, Argentina and Brazil, Paraguay also has to deal with calculations from the United Kingdom.

In real terms, Paraguay is considered a victim of the North American war pattern.

mid 19th century
Britain is in the golden expansion period of the Victorian era, establishing colonies all over the world. After seeing Spain and Portugal withdraw from Latin America, the local colonial forces are in a relatively vacuum state, and Britain will naturally not let go of such a good opportunity.

Especially after the outbreak of the American Civil War, the British cotton trade suffered a great impact. The international cotton price soared, and the price of raw cotton even more than quadrupled, which made British textile factory owners miserable.

The military strength of the Tang Kingdom was at its peak and it was not easy to mess with, so the British turned to Paraguay, which is rich in cotton, to make up for the shortfall.

Paraguay, which has just become independent, has just come out of the tiger's mouth, so naturally it is unwilling to enter the wolf's den again.

For outsiders like the British who have bad intentions, Paraguay adopts a relatively conservative attitude, which is a bit unprovoked and affordable.

Paraguay is like a charming little lady. Brazil in the north makes plans, Argentina in the south also considers it her own, and the British Empire, a tyrannical man from outside, tries to get in the way.

So many situations superimposed together, there is simply no way out.

The international environment in the 19s was so bad. If a weak country did not want to be a vassal to a strong country, it was basically impossible to stand alone in the regional competition. It would either be invaded by foreign enemies, or the regime would be destroyed, or it would be dismembered and eaten away. Basically, there would be no good results.

Seeing that Paraguay did not cooperate, the British made crooked ideas.

Since Paraguay is a landlocked country, it is not realistic to use force directly, so the British turned to support Brazil and Argentina, hoping to achieve the goal of controlling Paraguay through their hands.

Originally, it was very difficult for Paraguay to deal with the two strong neighbors. Now, with the addition of such a crap stick like the United Kingdom, the geographical situation around it will undoubtedly become more dangerous.

Generally speaking

Encountering such a bad situation like Paraguay, where there are almost no survivors, most countries can only be incarnations, swaying between the big powers, trying to maintain the balance of power between regions, and protecting their own through the involvement of big powers. Safety.

For example, Thailand, Burma, Iran, Fusang, Greece, Bulgaria, and even the Kingdom of Sardinia before the completion of the Apennine Peninsula Unification War all adopted such a vassal policy in order to obtain a temporary respite.

However, the Paraguayans did not play their cards according to common sense and did not choose to compromise with the powerful. Instead, under the leadership of the third President Lopez, they embarked on a very tough path of armed resistance.

After all, he is young and vigorous. The current President of Paraguay, Lopez, is an out-and-out thorn. He most admires Emperor Richard of the Tang Empire and Emperor Napoleon III of France, both of whom are representative figures of the expansion of world power.

Needless to say, Richard, after the French Emperor Napoleon III succeeded to the throne, he instigated and single-handedly led the Crimean War in 1854, joined Britain in declaring war on Russia, and finally won the war.

In 1857, the United Kingdom launched the second Opium War, and in 2, it used force to force the Manchus to bow their heads and signed a series of treaties that forfeited power and humiliated the country.

In 1859, France united with the Sardinian Kingdom to declare war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, successfully forcing Emperor Joseph of the Habsburg Empire to sign the defeat treaty, and occupied two important areas at the northern end of the Apennine Peninsula.

A series of victories in colonial expansion wars made the French Emperor Napoleon III more and more popular, becoming a representative of powerful European monarchs, and the other was King William I of Prussia.

The father of the current president of Paraguay, López Sr., is the second president of Paraguay after independence. He has been in power for 22 years and is committed to economic development, laying a very solid foundation for governance.

During the reign of Lopez Sr.
Instead of being a closed country in the past, Paraguay actively made friends with foreigners, introduced foreign technology, hired a large number of engineers and technicians from Europe, vigorously developed infrastructure and industry, set up transportation and communication facilities, built railways, and built steel factories. Paraguay has established a very good economic base.

Under the influence of his father, the current President Lopez has also been able to fully contact the European and American world. He can speak English, French, and some Chinese.

In 1853, at the age of 26, Lopez personally led a delegation to visit North America and Europe, visiting Tang, the United States, Britain, France, Italy and other European and American countries.

During this period, Lopez not only saw the power of advanced European military technology, witnessed the invincible demeanor of the armored cavalry of the Tang Kingdom, but also got a meeting with the legendary King Richard, who warmly encouraged him.

This made the young Lopez passionate, and he always dreamed of becoming the "devil Richard" of South America, which made the Yankees frightened.

He is eager to reproduce the invincible demeanor of "Devil King Richard", complete the hammering of Yankees, step on Mexico's great achievements, and become a great leader admired and praised by the people.

Of course, South America does not have the United States and Mexico, but Paraguay has never lacked powerful enemies. Argentina counts as one, and Brazil counts as one. In the eyes of President Lopez, this is regarded as a weakened version of the United States and Mexico in South America.

Paraguay can do what Datang Kingdom can do.

Therefore, during President Lopez's tenure, he vigorously developed armaments and established an elite army with a total of more than 3 people, all equipped with advanced king-style bolt-action rifles and 3-pound, 6-pound, and 12-pound Colt breech-loading artillery.

He also hired officers from the Tang Empire for training, established an elite cavalry team with a total of about 4500 people, and established the first cuirassier regiment in South America with a total of more than a thousand people. It can be said that no effort was spared.

Fortunately, Paraguay is located inland and has no navy. Otherwise, President Lopez would definitely buy the advanced "Akizuki" class armored destroyer, which is beyond doubt.

Today, the Royal Navy of the Tang Empire has been regarded as a world-leading advanced naval force. After several old sailing warships (gifted by the United Kingdom) were decommissioned, the Royal Fleet fully implemented steam iron armor.

This is especially irritating to the British Royal Navy, and the jealous eyes are red.

all in all

Paraguay's President Lopez, as in the original history, was successfully led astray, and soon he would brazenly declare war on Brazil, and then declare war on Argentina, trying to repeat the glorious success of the idol in North America.

Whenever he thinks of this, a faint smirk will appear on Li Cha's face, and he feels such a sense of accomplishment.

The imperial train is running all the way to the east. It has been running non-stop for eleven days since it departed from Chang'an, and it is still within the vast territory of the Tang Empire.

The Tang Empire traveled from north to south, from Alaska at the northernmost point to Panama in Central America along the west coast of North America, with a total distance of more than 1.22 kilometers. From Xin’an City, the paradise island at the westernmost point of the empire, to Detroit at the easternmost point, the distance reached 2.34 kilometers. , It takes two months to travel by boat and train.

How can such a vast territory not make people intoxicated?
(End of this chapter)