New Han Dynasty 1834

Chapter 106 The Most Favorable Path for Britain

Faced with the powerful blockade imposed by the Han Dynasty, the representatives of Britain, the United States, and Mexico, while angry, also had very similar questions on their minds: "What should we do next?"

Then Buchanan first proposed an idea: "Can we split up? The Han only has forty warships, while we have a hundred. They can't possibly chase all of them at the same time."

McLaughlin shook his head slightly after hearing this: "You mean we should disperse and find an opportunity to land, right? Of course, there is a chance to successfully land after we disperse."

"But you must consider the consequences of these scattered fleets encountering the Han fleet individually."

"Do you think that after we ignore the warnings from the Han people and secretly land on this coastline, their fleet will attack us once they discover us?"

"The key is that the average ship in the Han fleet is larger and has more cannons."

"Unless we have a total numerical advantage of twice that of the Han warships, we are unlikely to be a match for them at all."

"Therefore, our fleet cannot operate in a dispersed manner; it must concentrate to ensure numerical superiority."

The real core reason is that Britain never had the determination to directly wage war against the Han Dynasty from the very beginning.

Britain simply wanted to obtain some practical benefits in exchange through diplomatic negotiations.

Furthermore, the Han seem to act recklessly, capable of directly attacking and occupying Oregon, British Columbia, and California, and directly attacking the two thousand troops that the United States sent to the West Coast last year.

If the British navy and army find an opportunity to sneak ashore, the Han fleet will most likely attack without hesitation once they discover them.

That would escalate the conflict between Britain and the Han Dynasty, making it even more difficult to negotiate and exchange benefits.

Therefore, McLaughlin did his best to avoid direct conflict between the British army and the Han army.

Buchanan didn't think there was anything wrong with clashing with the big man, but at the same time he felt that McLaughlin made a good point.

The three fleets should indeed not be dispersed now, as being dispersed makes them easier to defeat one by one.

"So what's next? Just keep wandering around here? Look for an opportunity to shake them off, and then find a place to concentrate our forces for a landing?"

"Should we keep fighting them? The Han fleet can't possibly stay here and guard us forever, can it?"

McLaughlin sighed and said, "It's clear that the British fleet can't stay here and keep an eye on them forever."

"The Great Han fleet can make a round trip from the mainland in just two months."

"It takes the British fleet six months to come here, and a round trip takes a whole year."

"In addition to the large army of the Han Dynasty, if we can hold out, then the Han Dynasty can certainly hold out as well. We cannot possibly outlast the Han Dynasty."

"The key point is that neither Britain nor the United States is stable; the financial and bond markets have completely collapsed."

"The financial situation of our two countries cannot support our continued confrontation with the Han Dynasty here."

"We are not prepared for a full-scale war —"

McLaughlin's statement was incomplete. War can indeed be a good way to divert internal conflicts, but the situation of the target must also be considered.

Historically, Britain's Opium War against the Qing Dynasty was a means of relieving the pressure of its economic crisis.

But the situation is different now. If Britain were to attack the Han Dynasty in order to divert attention from its own problems, it would be asking for trouble.

Even if Britain were to attack Mexico now, it shouldn't confront the Han Dynasty head-on.

Buchanan, thinking about the situation at Citibank in China, the collapsed land prices, bonds, and paper money in the West, and the numerous bankrupt banks and companies, also fell silent.

The United States is indeed not prepared for a full-scale war.

Anna, looking bewildered, exclaimed, "We can't just let it go like this, can we? The Han Kingdom has seized Columbia in Britain, Oregon in America, and California in Mexico. Are we just going to let it go without paying any price?"

McLaughlin immediately denied it: "Of course it's not over yet. Our primary objective in this operation is to investigate the situation in this area."

"The attitude that the Great Han is currently displaying, and the fact that we cannot directly log in, is considered important intelligence that we have obtained on this trip."

"Now we should go back to Mexico and re-discuss and plan how to deal with the situation next."

"I need to consult the Prime Minister and Parliament to see if we can start a war."

While Britain realized that the Han Dynasty was not giving an inch, it also realized that it could not make the decision to confront the Han Dynasty head-on.

But they won't give up so easily; not declaring war directly doesn't mean they won't sabotage from behind.

The British naturally assumed that they would encourage the United States and Mexico to confront the Han Dynasty head-on, while Britain would provide support from behind the scenes.

However, this diplomatic strategy cannot be spoken aloud, especially when dealing with representatives of the United States and Mexico, potential tools.

Buchanan and Anna had nothing to say and reluctantly accepted McLaughlin's suggestion.

McLaughlin explained the situation to the fleet commander, and the three-nation fleet then turned in the waters off Alaska and took the long-range route back to Acapulco, Mexico.

The three fleets and their accompanying army units remain in Acapulco for the time being, awaiting further arrangements.

McLaughlin and Buchanan each wrote a report, arranging for the messengers to cross the Isthmus of Central America and then return by ship to the United States and the British mainland to report on the journey.

British Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne received a report from McLaughlin at the end of March 1838.

After reviewing it himself, he summoned Viscount Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, and handed him McLaughlin's report.

After reading it, Viscount Palmerston muttered with a very unpleasant expression, "The Han Dynasty is really too tough; they really aren't willing to pay even the slightest price."

"Perhaps they believed that Britain would not directly wage war against the Han over those wastelands in Columbia."

"Britain cannot put its own fleet under the Mexican flag to fight."

"The big man will definitely fight back without any hesitation."

"It's clearly not worth risking an entire fleet for Mexico while simultaneously offending the Han Dynasty to the death."

"Our concerns are precisely why the Han are so reckless—"

Viscount Melbourne continued, "That's certainly true, and we shouldn't give up so easily. I think McLaughlin's judgment is very reasonable."

"We can encourage Armaerica and Mexico to continue fighting the Great Han on the ground."

"Britain can provide support beyond military intervention; we can sell military equipment and supplies to both countries."

"If they can win and force the Great Han to relinquish those lands, or pay the due price, then Britain will receive its due share."

"If they cannot win, and the Han Dynasty completely occupies those lands, we will have already gained some profits through military trade—"

Palmerston agreed with Melbourne's assessment, but raised some questions about the details: "So how do we respond to them? We can't just say we don't think it's worth going to war, can we? That would affect their fighting resolve and will, wouldn't it?"

Melbourne thought for a moment and said, "Let Parliament vote on whether Britain should use force in response to the Han's occupation of the west coast of America."

"If we hadn't specifically pushed for it, this resolution probably wouldn't have been able to pass now."

"Domestic and North American investment markets have completely collapsed, fiscal revenue has plummeted, and the deficit is out of control."

"This year we also have to prepare for Her Majesty the Queen's coronation ceremony, which is another huge unplanned expense."

"The only industry that still has momentum right now is investment in the Han Dynasty. It would be too difficult to call for war against the Han Dynasty at this time."

"After Parliament votes against it, we can reply to them that the British Parliament has rejected the proposal to go to war, and we can only provide the necessary economic support."

For a seasoned politician, the king can be a scapegoat, and so can parliament; it all depends on how they apply their positions.

After considering the current situation, Palmerston knew that such a vote was unlikely to pass.

After the economic crisis of 1837 exploded, amidst a wave of bank and company bankruptcies, some factories continued to operate and even began to expand production.

They adopted the Han system of weights and measures brought back by the mission to Han, produced machines and equipment that met Han standards, and prepared to invest in and build factories in Han.

Because the mission to Han brought back relatively accurate information, the investment methods that Han permitted and could accept had become clear.

Although the first wave of reckless investors lost money, the Emperor of Han actually bailed them out.

This approach left a very good impression on British investors.

Meanwhile, according to the message brought back by the delegation visiting Han, the Han Dynasty's demand for steam engines was almost limitless, and they were willing to use them even if the standards were different.

However, they were slightly price-sensitive, as it wasn't cost-effective to bring steam engines manufactured in Britain.

However, preparing the equipment for producing and processing steam engines and setting up a steam engine factory in the Han Dynasty would be an absolutely correct investment.

After Irving triggered the economic crisis, British investors began to trust the emperor's judgment.

They already believed that the British market would experience a major depression lasting several years, but the Great Han market would not suffer from such a depression.

In the next few years, the only effective investment direction is Dahan.

Therefore, after the outbreak of the economic crisis in Britain, some people actually increased their investments in the Han Dynasty.

Investors began to seek out scholars who had returned from the Han Dynasty to learn about the situation and organize new investment delegations to visit Han.

The mission to China in 1837 was formed in the summer and set off again in the autumn, and it was larger than the mission in 1835.

At the same time, while the British government did not allow the outflow of gold and silver, it was impossible to completely prevent it.

Merchants would always find various ways to take gold and silver out of the country when they felt it necessary.

Therefore, the cargo carried by this mission to Wuhan included not only machinery and equipment, but also a large amount of gold and silver in various forms.

Bringing gold and silver directly to the Han Dynasty would be the safest approach.

At the same time, British scholars now have a very good impression of the Han Dynasty and its emperors.

The scholars of the Great Han Dynasty held extremely high status, which relieved them of all worries and allowed them to focus on their research without having to worry about anything else.

The emperors of the Han Dynasty attached great importance to scientific research, and projects personally commissioned by the emperor received unlimited human and material support.

The most typical example is the development of cameras.

In just a few months, they achieved results that no one had ever dared to imagine before.

Now all you need is a camera the size of a suitcase and a roll of special film only the size of a thumb to quickly take all kinds of photos.

The clarity surpasses all paintings; every hair and wrinkle is clearly visible.

Furthermore, the descriptions of the Han Dynasty's lifestyle by Irving, Faraday, and others further reinforced scholars' yearning for the East.

They believed that the present-day Han Dynasty was truly a "nation of knights, scholars, and commoners."

Therefore, more scholars want to visit the Han Dynasty this year to seek investment opportunities.

In this market and social environment, it would be extremely difficult to pass a vote on whether to launch a military operation against the Han Dynasty for a piece of wasteland on the west coast of North America.

Unless Melbourne uses its influence to persuade enough members of parliament in advance, it is unlikely to obtain a relatively high percentage.

But Melbourne is not prepared to do that; instead, it will suggest that its own party's members should not vote in favor.

Melbourne is using parliamentary resolutions as a political tool.

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