Wild North America 1846

Chapter 662 The South splits the five countries

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 662 The South splits the five countries

"Joint pressure is fine, but after the secession of the South, we, the Tang Empire, want places like Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arkansas."

Emperor Richard directly raised the price and told Prime Minister Dong Jie: "Tell the British that the Chinese population in the above-mentioned states in the central region accounts for the majority. This is our condition. If you agree, we will cooperate together, otherwise there is no need to discuss anything." ."

As expected, he was indeed the founding emperor with an iron fist. Even if a wild goose flew past the door, a leg would be left behind. It was obviously impossible for the British to get something without paying a price.

"The humble minister obeys the decree."

Now that His Majesty the Emperor has laid down the regulations, Prime Minister Dong Jie, who has always been known for his ability to act, had the confidence in his mind and immediately started to operate.

On January 11, 1879, the Tang State issued a proclamation requiring the Confederate States of America to abandon the inhumane practice of slavery and transform into a civilized country.

If it fails to meet the requirements, it will further strengthen sanctions against the United States and allied countries and mobilize other countries in the United States to join the sanctions.

Once this policy announcement was released, it immediately caused a sensation.

The cotton-growing states in the south, dominated by conservative whites such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, reacted particularly fiercely. They all clamored to fight and never give up their property and rights.

Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky, places with a large number of Chinese immigrants, reacted more rationally. They tended to yield to pressure and give up slavery, which had been abandoned by the whole world.

Differences in internal opinions have contributed to the division of states within the Confederate States of America. In Capitol Hill in Richmond, you can often see members of Congress with different opinions fighting and tearing each other apart.

just a week later

Across the Atlantic, Britain issued a stern anti-slavery stance, echoing the severe sanctions imposed by the American overlord Tang, and stated;

"The British Royal Navy will strengthen inspections in the Atlantic region and take measures such as arresting and detaining cotton ships originating from the United States and the Allies to promote a change in the country's policy."

This is called a leak in the house. It rained continuously, and the ensuing critical attacks accelerated the division within the Confederate States of America, exploding like a ripe watermelon.

March 22, 1879

Florida, with a majority Chinese population, officially declared its separation from the Confederate States of America, established the Republic of Florida, abandoned slavery, and requested military asylum from the Tang Empire.

Three days later

The Tang Empire agreed to the request of the Republic of Florida and sent a small fleet from Cuba to Miami. The distance between the two was nearly 150 kilometers.

Richmond strongly opposed the independence of the Republic of Florida and hoped that European powers would intervene to provide justice, but he did not want to be hit in the head.

A week later, the United Kingdom publicly announced its recognition of the Republic of Florida, and then the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria successively publicly recognized the Republic of Florida.

France delayed until mid-May, after most European countries had recognized the Republic of Florida, before finally recognizing the new republic.

encouraged by this

On April 16, Kentucky and Oklahoma successively declared autonomy, abandoned the backward and ignorant slavery system, and transformed into civilized countries.

April 23

Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana publicly declared their independence from the Confederate States of America, established the Republic of Mississippi, abandoned slavery, and requested military asylum from the Tang Empire.

A week later, the leading troops of the Royal Army of the Tang Empire entered Arkansas and Louisiana, declared their recognition of the newly born Republic of Mississippi and implemented military protection.

May 7

After a referendum, Kentucky and Oklahoma declared their submission to the Tang Empire and requested the Tang Empire to send their princes to the throne to establish the Kingdom of Kentucky and the Kingdom of Oklahoma.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty agreed to his request and sent His Royal Highness Tang Li Yuan, the Duke of Hawaii, the eldest prince, to be crowned King of Kentucky and go to Kentucky to join the vassal state.

His Royal Highness Tang Li Geng, the Duke of Panama and the second prince, immediately resigned from the post of governor of the Andes Governor's Palace, became the king of Oklahoma, and went to Oklahoma to join the vassal state.

Originally, the imperial family paid attention to Arkansas. Unfortunately, Chinese immigrants in Arkansas only accounted for 35.7% of the total population. The Chinese-American party did not win the governor's election in the state, and the operation fell short.

In the end, Arkansas and Louisiana joined Mississippi's new republic plan, and the Tang Empire had no choice but to give up and settle for the next best thing.

After this division, the vitality of the Confederate States of America was greatly weakened. The mountains of raw cotton in the cotton fields could not be sold. The white slave owners were filled with resentment. The country was divided but unable to recover.

After the establishment of the Republic of Florida and the Republic of Mississippi, the Tang Empire gradually lifted its sanctions, and the cotton it produced was continuously transported to Europe and North America by sea. Only the Confederate States of America was firmly entangled by the sanctions.

July 7, 1879

The seven states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee accounted for 57% of the total population of the original Confederate States of America of 13.3 million, or 7.58 million.

The remaining people renounced slavery, which had been criticized by the world for a long time, declared that the Confederate States of America no longer existed, and established the Carolina Republic.

The Republic of Carolina in the South of the United States covers an area of ​​593,000 square kilometers and has a total population of more than 7.58 million people. Among them, there are about 3.15 million liberated free blacks, accounting for 40% of the total population. It is the country with the highest proportion of blacks.

There are only more than 440,000 Chinese expatriates in the country, making it the North American country with the smallest Chinese population.

The Republic of Mississippi covers an area of ​​355,000 square kilometers and has a total population of 3.06 million, of which 570,000 were emancipated free blacks, accounting for 15.7%.

The country's Chinese population is 1.01 million, accounting for one-third of the world's population, and they have an important say in the political arena.

The Republic of Florida covers an area of ​​170,000 square kilometers and occupies a uniquely vast southern coast. It has a total population of 713,000, of which more than 80,000 emancipated free blacks account for less than 12%.

The country has a Chinese population of 497,000 and less than 130,000 whites. White immigrants mainly come from Italy, France and Germany. The largest Justice League is the ruling party and has absolute dominance.

The Kingdom of Kentucky has a total area of ​​104,600 square kilometers and a total population of 965,500, of which 96,000 free blacks were emancipated, accounting for about 10%.

This is the central region with a large number of Chinese immigrants, with a total population of about 560,000 to 570,000, and it has a decisive influence in the political and economic fields of the kingdom.

The Kingdom of Oklahoma covers an area of ​​182,000 square kilometers and has a total population of approximately 834,000, of which 67,000 free blacks were emancipated, accounting for approximately 8%.

More than half of the country's Chinese immigrant population, many of whom have military experience, is also the main factor that allowed them to successfully join the Tang Kingdom.

No one expected

In just over half a year, the originally powerful Confederate States of America passed away and became history. The original territory was divided into five parts.

This separatist tendency inevitably affected the North. In major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, mass movements for separatist independence emerged and became more and more intense.

Britain was the main force secretly promoting this separatist trend. On the northern issue, the Tang Empire showed a cautious and uncooperative attitude and took a clear stand against separatism.

The Garrison of the Tang Empire cooperated with the powerful measures taken by the Chinese President of the United States of America, Zhang Zongliang, and dispatched military and police to severely suppress the separatist elements that broke out in major cities, forcibly suppressing this separatist trend.

This made the British man very angry, but he was helpless.

Compared with violent institutions such as the military and police, the United Kingdom in the United States of America embodies more of its soft power influence, such as political and civil influence, and lacks powerful means.

Britain's idea is very clear, which is to eliminate the Tang Empire's military control over the United States through division, military occupation, and cultivate a pro-British regime, which will help stir up trouble in North America.

The only Carolina Republic in the south was far from enough. Regardless of its size or strength, it was difficult to compete with the powerful Tang Empire.

It is best to have one or two allies in the north to respond, coupled with the strong support of Canada and the United Kingdom behind it, it can greatly affect the energy of Datang and achieve the strategic goal of balance of power in North America.

The Tang Empire had a large number of troops stationed in the United States (note, the regime in the southern part of the United States no longer exists, and the United States specifically refers to the north, and I will not go into details hereafter). It penetrated deeply into various fields and had a strong voice. This is an indisputable fact.

Chang'an, the imperial capital

"The empire hopes that the north will be divided, but not now." Emperor Richard clarified the essence of his policy towards the United States in one sentence.

The division of the south was a win-win situation for both Tang and Britain. Among the five countries that split off, the Tang Empire held down four with one hand. Among them, the Kingdom of Kentucky and the Kingdom of Oklahoma surrendered to the empire, causing the empire's territory to increase slightly by 286,000.

square kilometers.

It has increased from 19.33 million square kilometers to 1962 square kilometers, which is a small improvement.

The Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida are both countries where Chinese expatriates have a dominant voice. The next step is to increase the intensity of Chinese immigrants, mainly the more loyal retired officers and soldiers of the empire, and will completely bring them into the sphere of influence of the Tang Dynasty.

A thousand birds in the forest is worse than a bird in the hand.

This was the admonition of the famous philosopher Socrates to his students, and the actions of the empire and Britain to exert pressure on the south, leading to its complete division, can also be said to be the practice of this theory.

Instead of maintaining a superficial alliance that is divided between Germany and Germany, it is better to resolve to break this situation, completely bring the two divided countries into its own territory, and build the other two republics into countries of eternal friendship.

As long as the Chinese population dominates, the Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida will be the two loyal younger brothers of the Tang Empire, just like Uruguay and Paraguay in South America.

If the Carolina Republic is ignorant, the Tang Empire has 100 ways to control its desire to die. Its geographical location has determined that it cannot escape the fate of being at the mercy of others, but it is still unwilling to do so.

The situation in the United States is different from that in the south. "The empire hopes that the north will be divided, but not now." These words of Emperor Richard revealed the essence of the problem.

Today, it is the second year of the term of President Zhang Zongliang of the United States of America. Since the implementation of the "Anti-Italian Act", the number of white immigrants flowing into the United States has dropped sharply.

The original wave of white immigrants to North America averaged around 800,000 to 1 million per year, but now, affected by this, the number has dropped sharply to less than 500,000.

Of this, 60% went to the United States, 30% went to the Tang Empire, and 10% went to the five southern countries.

In other words, the United States accepts about 300,000 white immigrants every year, mainly Germans and Irish, as well as white immigrants from the Austrian Empire, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and other countries.

Taking advantage of this favorable opportunity, the Tang Empire further increased the export of immigrants to the United States. Every year, about 50,000 to 60,000 retired soldiers from the local garrison mostly stayed in the United States, forming the backbone of the immigrants.

In addition, through the guidance of the government over the past year, approximately 300,000 Chinese immigrants have entered, making the proportion of the Chinese population significantly increased for the first time, by approximately 0.1 percentage point.

When these Chinese immigrants get married, start a business, and have children, this tenth of a percentage point will become 0.2 or even 0.3 or more.

If the concentration of Chinese immigrants is taken into account, especially in large cities such as New York and Pittsburgh, the population proportion has increased even more significantly.

This is just a change in one year, what if it takes ten years or more?

Apart from anything else, at least the Chinese President Zhang Zongliang cannot be moved during his four-year term. Time is conducive to the empire.

According to the "North American Post-War Treaty" signed in 1862, the war compensation costs totaling 500 million Tang Yuan will be paid off by the United States of America (North) within 25 years, with an annual interest of 5.5%, and will be mortgaged with customs tax revenue.

During the 25-year mortgage period, the Customs of the United States of America (Northern) will be hosted by the International Customs Commission jointly composed of the Tang Empire, the Confederate States of America, the United Kingdom and France, and the Northern Government shall not interfere without justifiable reasons.

The United States' liability for compensation will end in 1887. Previously, compensation had been paid annually, which means there are still 8 years left after the post-war economic compensation liability is fulfilled.

The International Customs Commission will unconditionally hand over customs supervision rights. This is one of the symbolic events for the United States to regain its national sovereignty and is of considerable significance.

This also meant that the Tang Empire's control over the United States was weakened, leaving it with a little room to struggle. This is an issue that must be paid attention to.

After fulfilling its post-war compensation responsibilities, the United States has the right to demand that the Tang Empire withdraw its troops. This is a right granted to the United States by international treaties, and it is completely justified.

After the Franco-Prussian War

It only took France two years to raise a huge war compensation of 5 billion francs, and Germany had to withdraw its troops under international pressure.

The Tang Empire would also face the same problem, but there was a twist.

That is, during the Civil War, the United States borrowed heavily from the world, borrowing a total of 1.375 billion Tang Yuan from international finance (including loans of the same value in pounds, francs, and marks). After the war, the United States formed an "International Creditor's Rights Committee" to renegotiate the installment repayment of the debt.

.

This problem is not encountered in France.

The postwar American financial order completely collapsed. During the postwar financial order restructuring led by the Tang Empire, the United States was allowed to issue a new version of the U.S. dollar that was 1:1 convertible to the Tang Yuan, which was called the "new dollar."

Just like the Hong Kong dollar, the new U.S. dollar is not a banknote, but only a Tang Yuan exchange certificate. It relies on the credibility of the Tang Empire to support the value of the currency. Without the endorsement of the credibility of the Datang Empire, it will collapse in minutes.

After the issuance of the new U.S. dollar, the exchange rate against the old U.S. dollar was once as high as 2,200; 1. All the soldiers of the Tang Empire stationed in the United States were rich men. With one month's salary of a second lieutenant officer, he could buy a comfortable building in Manhattan, New York.

4 bedroom house.

There were huge war loans totaling 1.375 billion, some of which had interest rates as high as 13% or even 15%, and the general interest rates were over 8% to 9%. It can be said that the US government at that time was completely crazy in order to win the war.

It is certainly unrealistic to repay such a large sum of money at such a high interest rate.

After the war, in order to reduce debt, the U.S. government was forced to sell part of its shares in the world's largest Arabache coalfield, New York's Manhattan Island, the New York Port Authority, the century-old Port of Philadelphia and a series of other high-quality assets, covering almost all major cities in the United States.

At that time, the United States was in dire straits, and most international lenders did not dare to get their hands on these assets for fear of losing all their money.

Therefore, these assets were packaged and acquired by funds affiliated to the imperial family, and the proceeds were used to repay high-interest loans in priority, causing the total debt of the United States to barely drop below 1 billion, specifically 985 million Tang Yuan.

After two and a half years of difficult negotiations on this part of the international loan, an agreement was finally reached by the "International Creditors' Rights Committee" and the "Financial Reorganization Working Group" led by the Datang Empire.

This 985 million Tang Yuan debt was repaid by the main body of the American government and guaranteed by the "International Customs Commission" led by the Tang Empire. The agreed repayment interest was 5.6% and the repayment period was 49 years.

This heavy international debt is a huge burden on the U.S. government. With its weak government revenue and expenditure, it is impossible to repay it. It can only borrow new debt to repay old debt, and borrow short-term debt to repay long-term debt.

The U.S. government has been trapped in the international debt swamp for a long time. After years of evolution, it owes huge loans of more than 360 million yuan to major financial institutions in the Tang Empire, and it also owes a lot of bad debts to the British, French, and Germans.

In an era when inflation was unknown, the currency value of the Tang and Yuan Dynasties was extremely strong linked to gold. It is expected that the United States can repay 1/3 of this international debt before the end of this century.

If the International Customs Commission headed by the Tang Empire loses its power and withdraws its troops stationed in the United States, what will happen to the international debt? Who will guarantee the repayment?

If the United States is divided, who will bear this international debt? What proportion will each bear? These are unavoidable practical issues.

The UK is not a major creditor country, so it certainly doesn't care about causing trouble in North America.

Datang and France are the main creditor countries, especially French loan sharks, which account for almost 70% of the total creditor rights. They will never allow the United States to collapse like this.

If that's the case

It's like France has to endure another huge amount of compensation from the Franco-Prussian War. No matter how rich the family is, it can't sustain such a torment.

Therefore, Tang and France have the same interests on this issue and have the basis for in-depth cooperation.

The French government made a public statement;

Unconditionally fully support the Tang Empire's policy of maintaining peace in North America, support the long-term military garrison of the Tang Empire, and oppose the transfer of customs rights after the 25-year war debt is paid off.

The starting point for all this is to consider the interests of France.

As long as the Tang Empire still controls the economic lifeline of the United States and maintains a heavy military presence, French loan sharks will be able to receive a steady flow of loan principal and interest and enjoy the profits.

This is related to the vital interests of millions of rentiers in France. How can France not support it?

(End of chapter)