By the end of 1860, the total population of the United States had reached 31.6 million. Among them, the population of the Northern Free State is about 18.7 million, and the Southern Livestock State has a population of 12.9 million, of which 5 million are slaves.

Franz's butterfly effect still played a role, and the balance of power between the north and the south changed slightly, but it did not change the fact that the north was strong and the south was weak.

At the Austrian embassy in Washington, representatives of Britain, France, Austria and Spain gathered together. Drucker, Austrian ambassador to the United States, was the first to speak: "The main reason for inviting everyone here today is to discuss the issue of southern independence.

At this critical juncture, it is necessary for us to be consistent in order to better protect everyone's interests. ”

I don't know when everyone began to discover the benefits of the principle of unanimity among the great powers, and usually as long as they did so, everyone could make a lot of money.

The crowd fell into deep thought, as if they were weighing whether it would be more beneficial to join forces or to do it alone.

As for abolition or not, it is not in everyone's consideration at all. Don't look at the earth-shattering slogans of "abolition" in European countries, in fact, everyone is holding the idea of watching the excitement.

In recent years, the United States has been expanding at a balloon-like rate, which has still aroused many people's worries, and the American threat theory is also a hot topic in Europe.

In order to attract immigrants, the propaganda put up by the Americans, under the guidance of well-intentioned people, has become evidence of the American threat.

Because communications remain unchanged, the U.S. government is simply beyond the reach of the adverse effects of public opinion. tried to guide public opinion several times, but was caught and embarrassed.

Mark Oliver, the representative of the United Kingdom, said: "All four of us have a huge trade with the United States, and it is more in our interest to have a stable America.

Concerted intervention to avoid the outbreak of the American Civil War is conducive to world peace and stability. ”

The attitude of the British is not surprising, the British Empire could not do without cheap industrial raw materials supplied by the Americans, especially cotton.

Not only the British, but also the Franco-Austrian and Spanish countries are all big importers of cotton. Even with a bumper cotton harvest in West Africa, Austria is barely self-sufficient.

The representative of Spain, Francisco, added: "In order to maintain world peace, a divided America is necessary.

From 1783 to the present, the territory of the United States has expanded from more than 800,000 square kilometers to nearly 8 million square kilometers, and if it is not contained, it will not be long before the whole of America will gradually be eaten away.

Everyone is an American expert, and they should be aware of the country's development potential. At the rate of their development, they will catch up with Europe in less than 50 years, and then surpass us by their sheer size.

You must know that the four countries together are less than one-third of the United States. They have almost no shortage of resources, and they can't find where to start if they want to limit them.

Now is the only chance, if the United States is allowed to solve its internal problems, the future world hegemon is booked. ”

Francisco's statement is almost a copy of the American threat theory. With the development of the United States, Spain has been the biggest victim of its continuous foreign expansion in recent years.

In particular, the Americans put their hands into Cuba in an attempt to seize another Spanish colony, which aroused the hatred of the Spaniards.

The expansion movement of the Americans, apart from having little influence on Austria, was the one that harmed the interests of Anglo-French unity. The French were forcibly bought the Louisiana area, and the British lost even more.

The representative of France, Alfried, scoffed: "This is too alarmist, right, can the United States become the world hegemon?" ”

Drucker, the representative of Austria, said with a smile: "Who knows this? However, the speed of development of the Americans in recent years is obvious to all, and they are constantly sucking the blood of Europe.

Everyone wants to send immigrants to the colonies, but the Americans have cut off a lot, right? Hundreds of thousands of Europeans immigrate to the United States every year, and everyone knows what that means!

If the northern governments succeed, they will have the richest resources in the world, the cheapest industrial raw materials, and a large labor force, and they will soon complete industrialization.

In the commodity market, we have added another competitor. It may not be long before the Americas are flooded with Made in the United States.

Capital knows no borders, and perhaps many capitalists are already thinking about moving to the United States. If these people come over, then our technological advantage will no longer exist.

You know, they are also stuck with our industrial raw materials, let's say - cotton.

Even if everyone finds a new source of raw materials, it is difficult to lower the cost of production than in the United States, and it is reasonable for the capitalists to go to the United States to build factories. ”

Drucker's words clearly mean that the few people here are the ruling classes of various countries, belonging to vested interests, and no one wants to see their national interests suffered.

Mark Oliver's face changed drastically, and he dared to promise that if he did nothing this time, he would decide that he would be retaliated against by the domestic capitalists when he returned home.

Capitalists immigrate to the United States? In fact, this is only the patent of big capitalists and consortia, and small and medium-sized capitalists are lucky to go to a place where they are not familiar with their lives, and not to be swallowed up by others.

The real capital has no borders, and it will not be realized until the order is established and everyone becomes more attentive.

Drucker's purpose is to remind everyone to sit up right, not to take money from the northern government, and to lean toward the Americans politically.

After calming down, Mark Oliver smiled and said: "The United States is indeed too strong, it is better to weaken it."

I remember that in the Declaration of Independence, the federal states of the United States had the right to withdraw, and since the seven southern states are now independent, then let's recognize their status! ”

This was fatal, once the European countries recognized the independent status of the southern government. The Civil War was no longer a civil war in the United States, but a war between two independent nations.

Politically, it was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the government in the north. Once the legitimacy of the government of the South has been established, it will be easy to find an excuse for the countries to intervene in this war in the future.

If you wish, as long as the southern government sends an invitation letter, you can intervene in mediation by force.

The Northern government's attempt to use the abolition of slavery to create public pressure and cut off European support for the Southern government failed at the beginning.

The British made this decision, and there was also the Canadian issue behind it. The United States continued to expand, and the British were already dissatisfied. After the War of Independence, the Anglo-American conflict did not stop.

In 1812, President Jefferson, who had already left office, made a bold statement: "Canada will be annexed this year...... Eventually, the British will be completely expelled from the American continent! ”

Soon the Americans launched an attack on the Canadian region in an attempt to dominate the American continent.

Enraged, John Bull immediately took military action, making the Americans feel what is called the iron fist of the British Empire. The Americans who fought on the battlefield were looking for teeth all over the ground and burned down the White House.

Time is the best weapon, and the horrors of the British are gradually forgotten by the Americans. In 1844, the campaign slogan of the eleventh president, James Polk, was: "(Britain) either hand over Oregon or go to war!" ”

At this time, the United States is no longer weak, and it is no longer so easy to fight.

At that time, the London government weighed the pros and cons and admitted abandoning the Oregon region, but this breath was also held back.

The air can be choked, but the threat of the United States is also felt by the British. It's just that the capitalists, for the sake of their own interests, exerted influence on the Congress and reconciled the contradictions between Britain and the United States.

Whatever you say, the feud is still written down. When Mark Oliver discovered the anti-American stance of the two countries, he immediately decided to slap the Americans in the face.

The representative of France, Alfried, objected: "It is not good to directly interfere in the internal affairs of the United States, and European public opinion is in favor of abolition, and it is easy for us to cause trouble if we do so." ”

Interests determine the position, and the French already have very little interests in North America, and they naturally do not mind if the United States becomes bigger. Anyway, after the United States becomes bigger, it is the British who bear the brunt of it.

"This is only a small matter, and the governments of the South can also abolish slavery, and now they are protecting the inviolability of private property in Holy Rome," Drucker of Austria explained.

Withdrawal from the U.S. federal federation is also completely legal. There is no provision in the U.S. Constitution that prohibits states from withdrawing, and we must abide by the spirit of the contract!

To put it bluntly, the main cause of the contradiction between the North and the South is the issue of tariffs. The Northern government's assertion of raising tariffs has seriously undermined the principle of trade fairness! ”

Trade fairness is false, but it is true that everyone's interests are harmed. Once the Americans raise tariffs, they not only lose cheap raw materials, but also lose a market for goods.

Even the French, who supported the United States in causing trouble to the British, had to admit that the actions of the northern government were detrimental to their interests.

This is also the reason why the French government's policy on the issue of the United States has changed from time to time. Many times, they themselves don't know what to do.

The representative of France, Alfried, asked incredulously: "Your Excellency is not joking, is it that the government of the South will abolish slavery?" ”

After the propaganda of the northern government, the southern government was seen by many as evil slave traders. How could the plantation owners, who had already profited from the exploitation of slaves, give up their money?

Drucker replied confidently: "Nothing is impossible, and plantation owners can also learn from the capitalist business model."

In this world, there are many black-hearted capitalists who only pay a small salary, or even do not pay a salary, right?

Nominally, they did give the slaves a free status, but in reality they paid only enough for them to survive.

If you are old or sick, you will be thrown out to fend for yourself. Could it be that if you transform a way, the cost will really increase?

The plantation owners feared nothing more than that the slaves would leave once they had been freed. This problem can be solved by the employment contract. ”

Drucker was talking about the social realities of this era, and this was true in all European countries. Nominally serfdom was abolished, but in reality the lives of the people at the bottom did not improve much.

On the surface, after becoming workers, everyone got a salary and their living standards improved. In fact, this is in exchange for the increase in the amount of labor.

When I encountered an economic crisis, I said that I was unemployed, and I was unemployed. Workers who are sick cannot be treated, and if they are cured, their families will be ruined, and there will be no safety guarantee at all.

Mark Oliver chimed in: "Yes, in terms of cost, it is also a good choice to change the employment method. There are so many labor export companies in the United States that plantation owners simply don't have a shortage of labor.

As leaders of the civilized world, we have an obligation to help the governments of the South gradually abolish the evil slavery and join the big family of civilized society. ”

The issue of slavery was solved, and the French representatives were not against it. It didn't matter whether the Southern government abolished slavery or not, as long as they made a gesture of intent to abolish slavery.

The representative of Spain proposed: "For the sake of the early abolition of the evil slavery and for the sake of world peace and stability, we must now persuade more slave states to join the government of the South." ”

Obviously in order to balance the strength of the north and the south, it became high-sounding when it came out of the mouths of politicians.

As for whether the southern government will accept everyone's kindness, there is no need to think about it at all, they must accept it.

It's just a political gesture, not an imminent move. Who has the courage to refuse just to put on a show and gain recognition from the international community?

The French representative, Alfried, said: "This is a good offer, and France is willing to help these slaves to be free. ”

……

On February 11, 1861, Britain, France, Austria and Spain, despite the opposition of the northern government, jointly issued a diplomatic proclamation, recognizing the independence of the southern government and establishing formal diplomatic relations.