The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 740 Nicholas Zhao Si's "Black, Red and Yellow" Army

On the long oak table in the presidential palace in New York, a one-fifty-thousandth battle map was burned with cigar ash and had nice scorch marks.

Lincoln's confidant, Sherman, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Union Army, used a copper ashtray to press down the Pennsylvania border and tapped the contour along the Susquehanna River with his index finger knuckle: "Our army now controls the line from Harrisburg to Yorktown. We have built a bastion fortress on the west side of the river in Harrisburg, deployed 120 12-pound cannons, and built a battery on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, deployed 18 64-pound cannons and 36 32-pound cannons. We have also deployed 3 "San Francisco" class inland ironclad gunboats on the Susquehanna River! If Robert Lee dares to launch a strong attack, the Southerners will drown in their own blood!"

"But it's hard for us to make progress on the Eastern Front, isn't it?" Lincoln held his pipe in one hand and tapped Baltimore on the map with the other. "How many troops did Robert Lee deploy there and how many lines of defense did he build?"

"General Lee's men dug three trenches, each with a twelve-pound rifled cannon hidden behind it." Sherman grabbed the military newspaper and shook it. "Yesterday, the navy also discovered a 5000-ton large ironclad ship in the Chesapeake Bay."

Secretary of the Navy Wells took out a handkerchief to wipe his gold-rimmed glasses: "That is one of the two 'Glorious' class ships that the Southerners ordered from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and France."

"General Farragut, how is your armored fleet?" Lincoln asked.

"Currently, construction of twenty 2000-ton ironclad ships has begun," said Navy Commander-in-Chief Farragut confidently. "Once they are all put into service, we will be able to make up for our quality disadvantage with our quantitative advantage."

"That is to say," Lincoln said, "right now, we can't do anything about those two 5000-ton ironclad ships?"

"Yes, Mr. President," Farragut said, "Although our navy has far more ships than the Southerners, those two large ironclad ships are still very powerful."

"Then let's change direction." Lincoln's thin and long fingers traced the winding blue line of the Mississippi River in the middle of the United States: "Ulysses, the 'Monty Python Project' you mentioned last time."

Grant stood up from the shadows and saluted the President of the United States. “Mr. President, please give me 100,000 men. I can control the entire Mississippi River in six months.” He clenched his right hand tightly. “The cotton, gunpowder, and bacon of the South all go through this waterway. If we cut off the Mississippi River, we will cut off the throats of those slave owners. No, we will cut off the throats of those black people who dream of being white!”

Hearing Grant's words, Lincoln couldn't help but sigh. How could the liberation of black slaves turn into strangling black slaves? That's right, it was all Nicholas Zhao Si's fault!

"And there is Nicholas Zhao Si and his black, red and yellow army!" Lincoln punched the Colorado territory on the map, "Ulysses, I will give you 10 people, but you must eliminate them all. In the future America, there will be no armed forces of people of color!"

Hearing Lincoln's statement, the senior Northern Federation officials in the conference room nodded in support, but at the same time they all showed solemn expressions.

Because the colored people are armed. It's not just Nicholas Zhao Si's black, red and yellow army, there are also militias from the three Chinese states on the west coast!
"President," Grant frowned, "If we want to destroy the Black, Red and Yellow Army, 100,000 people may not be enough."

Vice President Hamlin's silver pocket watch chain jingled: "Kansas and Missouri militia can still raise 50,000 men."

"We also need the shallow-water ironclad gunboats newly launched by the Brooklyn Shipyard," Grant added, "at least three. In addition." He turned and stared at Farragut, "I want to use the Mississippi River and its tributaries to transport supplies and ammunition. Can the Navy provide enough tugboats and cargo ships?"

Farragut took out a notebook and looked at it for a while: "The Navy can squeeze out 18 inland tugboats and 200 unpowered cargo ships!"

"That's enough!" Grant slapped the table and laughed, "With so many ships and the railroad network in Illinois, my army will have endless artillery shells along the Kansas River!"

Lincoln looked at Grant with shining eyes: "Ulysses, you will definitely get endless ammunition because we have the second most powerful industry in the world!"

Washington, White House.

The crimson velvet curtains were billowing in the night breeze off the Potomac River, and cigar smoke filled the brightly lit East Room meeting room.

President Davis stood in front of the long table, his sharp eyes sweeping over the top Southern military and political leaders present - Vice President Stephenson, Secretary of War Breckinridge, Secretary of State Hammond, Army Commander-in-Chief Robert Lee, Secretary of the Navy Mallory, and McMullan, who had just returned from the front line in Baltimore.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand black slaves carrying muskets and fighting for freedom - gentlemen, this is the magic of Nicholas's Eight Banners Law and Three Feudatories Law!" Davis' voice was low and firm, and his fingers tapped lightly on the report on the table.

Although this report was made by the Army Department chaired by Breckinridge, he himself did not agree with the Eight Banners Act and the Three Feudatories Act: "President, now the plantation owners in Missouri and the abolitionists in Kansas have become dogs of the Yankees!" He slapped two telegrams from St. Louis and Topeka on the conference table, "This is the White Supremacy Act passed by the Missouri State Assembly and the Kansas State Assembly. The slave owners and abolitionists in these two states actually opposed us together and defected to the Yankees!" Robert Lee frowned slightly, and his gray-blue eyes swept across the map: "The rebellion in Missouri is not accidental..." He paused, "The slave owners and abolitionists in the Midwest have always regarded the land of the Midwest as their own property, and are unwilling to share it with blacks, Indians and yellow people, so now the entire West is shaking."

"But Kansas and Missouri only have a total population of 95 or 25!" Davis said, "and during this period, there were as many as black slaves serving in the army. At the same time, black slave riots in the eastern slave states have also decreased by %. If we abolish the Eight Banners Law and the Three Feudatories Law now, can we make those black men with guns surrender their weapons and go back to being slaves?"

Navy Secretary Mallory smoked a Cuban cigar, and the smoke covered his worried face: "If we can't achieve a decisive victory on land before the Yankees complete their naval ironclad ship expansion plan, then our failure is doomed!"

"So we need more black soldiers!" Davis exhaled, "Robert, when can you launch the Battle of Harrisburg-Yorktown?"

"We can do it anytime, but," Robert Lee frowned, "the Union Army is well prepared. My suggestion is to launch a diversionary campaign in the west to attract part of the Union Army's main force away from their Blue Mountain-Susquehanna River defense line."

"General McMullen," Davis looked at the commander of Baltimore's defenses, "you and Nicholas are old friends, right?"

McMullen immediately understood what the president meant, stood up and saluted: "President, I will lead people to recapture Missouri, and at the same time let Nicholas send troops from Denver to attack Kansas. We also have many merchant ships carrying cotton on the Mississippi River, enough to send troops to St. Louis."

Davis nodded with satisfaction. "Great! McMullen will take the 3rd Georgia Division to Nashville by train tomorrow." He poked the tip of his cane at the location of Colorado on the map. "Send an express letter to General Zhao, asking him to march east from Denver. Don't the people of Kansas want freedom? Let Zhao Si's Black, Red and Yellow Army give them a taste of freedom!"

The strong wind on the Great Plains swept the sand and gravel, whistling past the makeshift military camp outside Denver. Xianfeng stood on the high platform, with a brand new military flag fluttering in the wind behind him - a black, red and yellow tricolor flag.

"Black, symbolizing our brothers with two black flags!" Zhao Si's voice echoed in the wind, pointing to the four black brigades lined up neatly below the stage - they had all raised their flags and divided up land in the valleys of western Colorado. Although the land was barren, at least each person had 100 acres, equivalent to 600 Chinese acres! If it were in China, even a landlord would be considered "big"!

"Red symbolizes our Indian warriors!" He turned to the other side and saw three cavalry brigades of Sioux, Apache and Cheyenne warriors, all wearing Mongolian fur robes and Mongolian hoods, carrying "Medium California" M1841 rifled rifles, with their heads held high, looking like winners.

"Yellow symbolizes our Chinese brothers." Finally, Xianfeng changed to Chinese and cast his eyes on the fewest but most critical Chinese soldiers. These people were the technical soldiers and instructors of the "Black, Red and Yellow Army". Except for the four or five hundred Mongolians of Archbishop Amur Buddha, they were all California Chinese militia brought by Chen Yucheng and Lei Laohu, and they were not Xianfeng's men.

However, Xianfeng still added a "yellow" color to their military flag, making a "black, red and yellow" tricolor flag.

Sushun stood in the audience and whispered to Yuan Bao: "Once the tricolor flag is raised, I'm afraid many white people in the north and south will have trouble sleeping."

Yuan Bao grinned and lowered his voice: "It's better if they can't sleep. Let them know that this American continent is not only the world of white people, but also has a share for us Eight Banners children!"

Xianfeng drew the saber from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly in the sun. He was about to say something when he heard a rapid sound of horse hooves. He turned his head and saw that it was O'Hara who was galloping on his horse while shouting, "Found it, Governor! Our people have found gold in Cripple Creek! God bless, there is really gold there!"

“Hahaha…” Xianfeng laughed loudly - now it was secure, with the gold from Cripple Creek, he would be the god of the white people in Colorado!

Now the entire Colorado is in his hands!
And just as a "tithe", he could receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds from the Cripple Creek gold mine every year.

Now we have the money to maintain the army and buy military equipment!

Archbishop Amur Buddha, who was standing nearby, saw Xianfeng laughing, and immediately raised his prayer wheel and shouted, "Namo Changsheng Tianhuang Shangdi."

"Namo Changsheng Tianhuang, may God bless you!"

Nearly 7 soldiers from the seven brigades below the stage roared to the ground, and the tricolor military flag fluttered in the strong wind like a ball of burning flame!

(End of this chapter)