Wild North America 1846

The British Special Envoy, Baron Granville-Gower, is a formal diplomatic representative sent by London and acts as a temporary British ambassador.

On the one hand, it listened to the needs of the Tang Kingdom, and on the other hand, it used the military and geopolitical influence of the Datang Kingdom to safeguard British interests in North America.

Another very important aspect is that it serves as a red line in the international mediation led by Britain and participated by France, Germany, Spain and other countries, closely connecting the Tang Kingdom.

As the dominant country in the world today, the United Kingdom does not lack two other red lines to connect the United States and Mexico. It single-handedly led the U.S.-Mexico-Tang Dynasty War that affected the entire situation in North America, thereby demonstrating its unparalleled international influence.

this age

The influential powers in Europe are all the younger brothers of Britain. The Kingdom of Prussia is working hard to unify the southern German region with many princes and grow into a European power that can rival France.

For this reason, Prussia can only cling tightly to Britain's thighs and is currently planning a royal marriage to further strengthen relations between the two parties.

Needless to say, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, these three lonely old-era colonial powers, followed the footsteps of the United Kingdom. If they showed any rebellious thoughts, they were immediately beaten back.

early 19th century

After the French emperor Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, Britain, in order to reward the Netherlands for following closely in the anti-Japanese alliance, threw the British-occupied Spice Islands (East Indies) to the Netherlands.

As for Spain, which was not active and disobedient, Britain's measure was to take away Spain's colonies in Central America. It was so overbearing.

France, which once dominated Europe during the time of Emperor Napoleon, was beaten to pieces by the 7th Anti-French Alliance organized by the British. It then fell into a complex domestic struggle involving decades of restoration of imperial power and the awakening of capitalist forces and workers' democratic forces. Civil strife continued.

, the national power plummeted.

Today's France, whether the Gallic Rooster wants to admit it or not, is just a yes-man watching London's face.

Therefore, while the British Empire won the reputation of "Europe's troublemaker", it also had the aura of "Europe's arbiter" and entered the most prosperous period of the empire.

The international mediation led by the United Kingdom represents a strong pressure from the entire world. With the small body of the United States today, it is really tough enough to withstand it.

If Richard had not taken a tough stance and demanded the annexation of Colorado (the capital is Denver) and claimed territorial rights in the vast area from Colorado north to the Canadian border, the United States might have agreed to the peace talks and publicly recognized the territory of the current Datang Kingdom.

The northern territory that Richard requested included Colorado, Montana and Wyoming east of the Rocky Mountains, and his appetite was astonishing.

How could the United States agree to such an outrageous request?

Although the above-mentioned three states are vast and sparsely populated, the total population is only about 47,000, and the economic output is negligible.

But the area was too vast, and the U.S. government simply could not bear the serious consequences of losing the war and ceding territory. It could only grit its teeth and resist the heavy pressure of international mediation, determined to continue the war.

Looking back now, how big is the area of ​​these three states?

Colorado, where Fort Denver is located, has a land area of ​​267,000 square kilometers, ranking second in area in the U.S. federal states.

With a land area of ​​380,000 square kilometers, Montana is the largest state in the United States by federal territory, and Wyoming ranks third with a land area of ​​253,000 square kilometers.

That is to say;

The above-mentioned three northern states are the first, second and third largest federal territories in the United States today, with a total area of ​​more than 900,000 square kilometers. Today, the total area of ​​the entire U.S. federal territory is only a little more than 6 million square kilometers.

Richard opened his mouth and suddenly wanted to take away 15% of the territory of the Federal Republic of the United States. Isn’t this just nonsense?

Then why was Richard so unwise, knowing that it was impossible, instead of taking a gamble on the future fate of the Tang Kingdom?

Is he stupid?

Or is it floating?

In fact, this is not the case. Richard made an extremely prudent strategic decision after careful consideration. This is related to the upper limit of the development of the Tang Kingdom in the next decades or hundreds of years, and is in line with the interests of all parties in the world.

The current situation of the three kingdoms in North America is very similar to the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu that once appeared in China. The alliance that once appeared in Chinese history is of great reference value for the future strategic decision-making of the Tang Kingdom.

If the Tang Kingdom plays the role of Shu, it will be in a corner and the weakest among the three.

Then the role of Mexico is the proper Wu State, which is the main battlefield against the invasion of the powerful Wei (United States).

An amazing coincidence occurred in history, but the stage shifted from China to North America.

Being caught in the middle of this situation, where should the Tang Kingdom go?

There are several subjective factors that prompted Richard to make the request for the lion to open his mouth widely;

The first is international factors.

From the perspective of London, what I hope to see is a divided North America with constant wars. What I hope to see is a weakened United States with frequent internal strife. What I hope to see is the Kingdom of Tang Dynasty rushing to the front line. It is best to

Keeping the Yankees by the balls and acting like a monster will not allow the United States to develop peacefully.

Only in this way

Only then can Britain's status as a global hegemon be fully reflected in North America, Central and South America, and have a decisive influence on North American countries to maximize the interests of the British Empire.

Since you are a chess piece, you must have the consciousness of a chess piece.

The value of the Tang Kingdom depends on this, the amount of assistance it can receive also depends on this, and its strategic value and importance also depend on this.

More realistically

The Tang Kingdom is like a dog raised by the British in North America. When it needs to pounce on it and bite it, it quietly hides aside and chews bones. What use is that to you?

There has been a similar scene in history. Fuso was a dog raised by the British in East Asia. When it was necessary for it to rush in and bite polar bears, it prevented the polar bears from entering the Korean Peninsula and the three northeastern provinces. What did Fuso do?

The Fuso Kingdom fought an unprecedentedly brutal war with polar bears, with hundreds of thousands of casualties. White flags fluttered from Tokyo to Hokkaido. Are all the Fuso people stupid?

No one in this world is a real fool. When Richard the Lion opened his mouth and made a bizarre and excessive territorial claim against the United States, the United Kingdom responded enthusiastically in tacit agreement.

The number of Chinese immigrants was quickly increased, from the current 12,000 to over 16,000 per month. The London Parliament passed the Act to Strengthen North American Immigration Assistance and provided substantial subsidies to Chinese immigrants.

at the same time

The increased intensity of industrial, military aid and trade support is the most obvious example.

For a chess piece that performs well and is more valuable, London does not hesitate to increase its assistance. This is a reward.

Secondly, it is out of strategic considerations to support Mexico.

The so-called "lips are dead and teeth are cold", the relationship between the United States, Mexico and the Tang Dynasty has a very strong linkage. If Mexico falls, the Tang Kingdom will not be easy.

If the Tang Kingdom had withdrawn from the war early and hid on one side to watch the fire, then Mexico would have suffered a disastrous defeat in history and would soon have lost all its underpants.

In the original history

Mexico was not without its struggles. President Antonio López de Santa Anna led the main army and staff to the front line and participated in every fierce and bloody battle with the US army.

Unfortunately, Mexico is deeply corrupt and terminally ill, and ultimately lost this crucial battle for national destiny.

Although the United States ultimately won the war, it also paid a heavy price. The war suffered more than 18,000 casualties, including 13,283 killed in action, and cost as much as $97.5 million.

When the United States completely subdues Mexico and turns around to deal with the Tang Kingdom with all its strength, then the Datang Kingdom will be destroyed.

When the nest is overturned, how can there be any eggs?

The Americans knew this truth. After encountering two consecutive hard knocks in the Western Front, they put down their original arrogant attitude and were willing to negotiate a contract between the two countries with the Tang Kingdom.

If the Tang Kingdom's demands are not excessive, perhaps the contract between the two countries has been formally reached, and they can happily withdraw from the war and win a short-term peace.

But this peace will not last long. Soon, the Tang Kingdom will face the all-out attack of the United States alone.

At this time, there will no longer be Mexico to share the pressure of the war.

The Americans know this, the British know this, and Richard also knows this.

Therefore, constantly causing big trouble for the US military from the flanks, provoking wars everywhere, supporting the Mexican frontal battlefield, and reducing the pressure on the Mexican army have become important measures for the Tang Kingdom to protect itself.

The third point is a valuable strategic opportunity period.

From paper data

In 1846, the United States had a population of nearly 20 million and a gross national product of nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars. Its national power was among the second-rate powers in the world, especially its industrial and agricultural economic strength, but its military strength was relatively weak.

Mexico has a population of more than 6 million, and the Tang Kingdom has a population of 120,000 (note: as an immigrant country, the population has increased significantly every month). Both economic output and population are far inferior to the United States.

If the two are tied together, the possibility of winning the war is extremely slim.

In fact, that's not how the account is calculated.

Mexico and the Tang Kingdom were both domestic anti-aggression wars, so it was naturally easy to win the support of the domestic people. They were also fighting on home soil, so their resilience in fighting wars of aggression should not be underestimated.

After the Tang Kingdom achieved two consecutive glorious victories, the news spread to Mexico, arousing great enthusiasm among the local people in Mexico for the war of resistance and causing a lot of trouble for the US military. This is a prominent linkage effect.

from a military perspective

Before the war, the United States only had more than 8,700 standing troops. Its military capabilities were a major weakness. It was almost like a rookie. Its strong economic capabilities could not be fully reflected in the field of war.

Any small country in Europe, such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands or Bulgaria, can teach the United States how to behave in minutes. This is the gap.

So, can the economic strength of these small European countries rival that of the United States?

Obviously it is far from being reached, but they are located in the European monster house. These small European countries have excellent military strength, which is enough for the United States to drink a pot.

From the perspective of Europeans, the North American war was like a chicken pecking each other.

Even a newly rising regional power in the Tang Kingdom could beat the American army to the point where it could no longer take care of itself. This made Europeans' disdain for American cowboys even higher.

In the final analysis, it is not that the Tang Dynasty is too strong, but that the United States' military power is really useless. The main body of the army is composed of militia, and the training time is far less than that of the Tang Dynasty. How can it win the war?

The reason why Mexico lost is that it can only be said to be a weakling among rookies. There is no second explanation.

The current situation in North America is a period of valuable strategic opportunity for the rise of the Tang Kingdom.

Take out your fingers and pinch them;

The annual GDP of the United States is US$1 billion. In the U.S.-Mexican-Tang Dynasty War that broke out in 1846, the Western Front battlefield suffered successive major setbacks, and the Southern Front battlefield is currently not progressing smoothly, leading to a surge in military expenditures.

The exact figure is unclear, but it is certainly far higher than the original historical expenditure level.

On the Western Front battlefield alone, the U.S. military lost tens of thousands of soldiers, nearly 2,000 four-wheeled carriages, and more than 8,000 mules and horses. The city of Denver was burned to the ground, and all the inns along the way from Kansas City to Denver were destroyed.

There are countless kinds of materials.

After a while, the loss of 30 million U.S. dollars is probably unstoppable.

The roads built by mobilizing more than 10,000 laborers were abandoned halfway, the casualty pensions of tens of thousands of soldiers and the expenses of re-preparing for war, all of which are money!

And this was only a side battlefield. In the main battlefield in Mexico, the United States mobilized more troops and invested massive amounts of materials and energy. However, in the face of the Mexicans who were aroused with confidence in victory, the war process was difficult.

How long can the United States, with its current national strength, support such a costly war?

As the war suffered successive setbacks, separatist forces in the United States became more and more arrogant. Anti-war forces and anarchism mixed into the tide of opposition to the government, which invisibly added more difficulties.

The conflict between the north and the south of the United States is currently intensifying. The conflicts between the northern states that advocate the abolition of slavery and the southern slave states are irreconcilable. They have repeatedly fought in Congress, with both sides exchanging vicious words and engaging in all-out military violence.

The most brutal Civil War in North American history was beginning to take shape. The conflicts between the two sides further intensified and became public. Many important parliamentary bills were still unable to be passed. This made it impossible for the United States to gather all its forces and devote all its strength to the war.

Thanks to the democratic ideals upheld by the founding fathers of the United States and the high degree of caution against military dictatorship, the U.S. military has always maintained a very small size and organization. It has poor ability to organize large-scale battles and its overall combat effectiveness is not strong.

And all this

These are precious opportunities that come once in a lifetime for the Tang Dynasty. If you make good use of them, you may not be able to stage a good show of snake swallowing the elephant.

Based on the above considerations

Richard made a decisive decision to bet on the future of the Tang Dynasty. Once it was successful, it would severely hit the rising national destiny of the beautiful and strong country. Don't worry about losing, everything would be business as usual.

Once a valuable period of strategic opportunity is lost, it will never be available again.

Throughout the history of the development of the United States, it was only in this stage before taking off that the Tang Kingdom was able to win a lot of prizes with its small gains and great achievements.

In another twenty or thirty years, when the North of the United States uses force to suppress the rebellion in the South, and completely clarifies the separatist and centrifugal forces in the country, the whole country will be united and committed to economic development, achieve economic take-off, and surpass traditional powers such as Britain, France, and Germany.

By then, it will be too late.