Austria was on the move, and Britain, France, and Spain were not idle. First, the Spaniards seized the island of Spain (the island of Haiti), and then the three countries accelerated their expansion in Mexico.

The British had just suppressed the Indian rebellion, and the French were still focusing on the Italian region. So this time Mexico is more fortunate than in history, and the expansion of various countries is dominated by economic and political infiltration.

If it weren't for the fear of provoking the two U.S. governments in the civil war, it would have been estimated that they would have infiltrated the U.S. states.

The re-establishment of the colonial system in North America has always been the dream of the British, French, and Spanish colonists. The Monroe Doctrine of the Americans, which has blocked everyone's way, is now naturally going to kick out this obstacle.

London

As the world's largest naval power, the British deservedly became the boss of this joint intervention in the United States' plan.

There was no one to compete with them for dominance, and the British were the most powerful in the Americas. If the Americans don't mobilize, John Bull's garrison in Canada can handle them.

This is not something to be proud of, the pocket-sized army of the Americans does not represent the real strength of the Americans, and the militia strength of most federal states is above the federal government.

In the Prime Minister's House in Downing Street, the new British Prime Minister John Russell is holding a meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that Lincoln guy has ordered a blockade of the East Coast. How to ensure the normal flow of trade between us and the southern government has become a difficult problem for us. ”

There is no doubt that the capitalists engaged in the cotton textile industry put pressure on the London government. If it's just a short-term lockdown, everyone will stick to it and it will pass.

If the blockade is prolonged, or if the northern government wins the war, then the supremacy of the British cotton spinning will be shaken.

This will never be tolerated. You must know that the cotton spinning industry is the pillar industry of the British, and once there is a problem, the entire British economy will be hit hard.

Admiral Edward said unhurriedly: "Your Excellency, don't worry too much about this issue. The Confederate government's coastline is not short, and I don't think the U.S. Navy should be that strong.

Now that the northern government is still trying to build ships, when they have that strength, we can also intervene with other countries to make the coastal areas of the Confederate government a safe zone.

At the moment, the Austrian ocean-going fleet has arrived on the west coast of the United States, the French fleet has also departed, and together with our and Spanish fleets in the Americas, it is not at all something that the Americans can compete with. ”

This is not nonsense, the military strength of the Americans in this era is really scum.

That 16,000-strong pocket version of the Federal Army, don't complain. After the outbreak of the Civil War, there was an instant decrease of one-third.

The U.S. Federal Army is scattered throughout the country, and the Army stationed in the southern states is naturally separated from the command of the federal government.

The army is not good, and the navy is not much better. When President Lincoln's blockade order was issued, the US Navy, which had already released Nanshan, discovered that for various reasons, only 42 of the 90 warships of the Federal Navy could be used, of which only three could be used to carry out coastal missions.

There is no way, the US Navy has received deep-sea combat training, does not have any experience in coastal operations, and has not conducted relevant training.

Historically, the northern government, which had achieved the advantage of sea power, did not send troops from the coast to attack the south, mainly because it was not familiar with the coastal fortifications and fortresses.

Bureaucrats, they all understand. These funds are in the hands of the southern states themselves, and the federal government has no backup. No one could have imagined that one day they would attack their own territory from the sea.

Minister of State Agarwal said: "Things are not so simple, and the three Austrian and Spanish countries also have their own evil intentions, and it is impossible to listen to our command.

The Royal Navy is currently under-represented in the Americas, and if it intervenes, it would mean ceding the dominance of the intervention.

If it is not led by us, how can Britain's interests be safeguarded? ”

In this era of fist worship, strength equals the right to speak. Just want to take benefits, but don't want to contribute, or don't think about it.

The great powers are not stupid, it is okay for the British to scare small indigenous countries with their might, but the Austrian Fasi, who is also a great power, will not give them face.

If you watch the play from the side, it will be miserable if you can't make it possible for Austria, France and Spain to join forces to divide up the interests of North America.

The probability of this kind of thing happening is very small, but this possibility cannot be ruled out. In the face of profit, anything is possible.

Prime Minister John Russell set his sights on Foreign Secretary Gladstone and wanted him to come up with a credible plan, after all, the problem this time is seven parts diplomacy, two parts politics and one part military.

Gladstone analyzed: "From the current situation, the Austrians should be targeting Central America, France and Spain are targeting Mexico, and all three countries have plans to tear a piece of meat from the Americans."

The mob in the United States is not easy to rule, so everyone's goal should be economic interests. Now the Austrians have the upper hand and have seized most of the arms market in the United States.

Preliminary estimates suggest that they have made a profit of around three million pounds. Our arms dealers are too petty and slow to react. ”

Prime Minister John Russell shook his head and said: "It's just a small matter, arms are a one-shot deal, and they will be gone after the civil war is over." This time it's cheaper Austrians, let's talk about how we can maximize the benefits! ”

£3 million is an astronomical sum for an individual, but it is also true for the London government.

If it is a long-term income, it can also attract the attention of Prime Minister John Russell, and this kind of one-time transaction is really difficult to arouse his interest.

The money is in other people's pockets, so you can't rob it, right? Even if you want to rob it, it is easier to grab the Americans directly than to rob Austria.

Gladstone frowned, he didn't like to be interrupted, especially after becoming the foreign secretary of the British Empire.

But this is the Prime Minister's Office, not his office, and it is the Prime Minister who interrupts him, and Gladstone is not easy to lose his temper.

"Your Excellency, the arms trade is actually related to our next plans. The goal of the Austrians was very clear, they just wanted the north and the south to continue fighting.

A closer look at their arms export reveals that the Habsburgs were behind the attack, and it is not known whether it was one of the members or Emperor Franz himself.

Since the Austrians can play a balance between the north and the south, we can also play a balance between the north and the south, and the weak government of the south can be a little more tilted.

However, the risk of doing so is very large, and if it is not good, the north and the south will divide the winner and loser. It is enough for the South to win, they do not have the strength to unify the United States, and if the North wins, it will be a big problem.

For this reason, the Vienna government did not hesitate to send an ocean-going fleet. This fleet was supposed to be the tool they used to ensure a balance between the north and the south, and they could immediately intervene in the event of a victory in the north.

I propose to immediately send a fleet large enough to crush the U.S. Navy, while increasing the number of land forces in the Canadian region in order to dominate the situation if necessary. ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer James objected: "Stop Your Excellency, don't forget that sending troops also costs money." We have just put down an Indian insurgency and have already paid a whopping £280 million in military spending.

The government's financial resources no longer allow us to start another big war, and I don't think the Americans are soft persimmons. If they are easy to deal with, they will still be our colony. ”

Foreign Secretary Gladstone said dissatisfiedly: "Your Excellency, don't always think financially, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain, you must take into account the overall situation.

We can recoup what we have paid now in the near future. A strong America is not in our interest, at least in the Canadian region, which is under threat at all times.

The Americans' desire to drive us out of the Americas has never stopped. If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to attract allies in the future.

The actual cost of sharing the military expenses among the four countries will not be too large. The Austrians dared to send an ocean-going fleet, why didn't we? ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer James shook his head and said: "The Austrians are doing this for the Central American region, they have joined the colonial movement too late, and the most fertile regions in the world have been carved up."

The Vienna government can develop the African continent at any cost, let alone Central America, which has better natural conditions.

But we don't. Britain now needs to recuperate, and it will be more than worth the loss to start a major war on an uncontrollable scale again. ”

This is the impression that Franz left on the outside world when he developed the African continent. In the eyes of many, Austria's African colonies lost their pants.

In fact, this is also the case, except for West Africa, where there are gold mines, which are barely breaking even. The rest of the region has been losing money, and it's not a small amount.

This is completely different from the idea of countries running overseas colonies. In this era, everyone is trying to get the benefits as soon as possible, and rarely invests money in building colonies.

Admiral Edward said, "Your Excellency, the more we prepare for this intervention, the less likely it is that a major war will break out in the end.

Do not forget that the strength of the Interference Alliance, which far exceeds that of the federal government, why should they dare to go to war with us.

Even if it does, I don't think it's a bad thing.

The Confederate government contained most of their strength, and we united with the three kingdoms of Oscephaus to directly destroy these rebels and re-divide the North American continent. ”

Destroy the federal government, just think about it. Unless the British are willing to burst their livers, they will at most take the coastal areas.

The territory of the United States is not small, and the military expenditure on entering the interior is like water. Historically, the United States was able to become independent, but the London government could not stand it.

Including the Second Anglo-American War, when the British burned down the White House, and finally gave up the plan to destroy the United States because of the high military spending.

Prime Minister John Russell softened the mood: "Guys, you're off topic. The most critical issue now is the need to ensure the smooth flow of maritime transportation and ensure the normal supply of domestic cotton.

Because the Indian rebellion had caused so much damage to the local area, our plan to rebuild a second cotton center in India had to be postponed.

And the promotion of cotton planting in Egypt is not going well. On the one hand, there is the resistance of the Egyptian locals who are unwilling to grow cotton; On the other hand, there is the canal under construction, which has grabbed a large amount of labor.

Therefore, there is no point in arguing about whether to increase troops in North America.

Now we have to increase our troops, otherwise the cotton supply chain will be cut off by the northern government, and what will we use to explain to Congress? ”

This is a real problem. It also takes time to grow cotton. Without a few years of promotion, it will not be able to form a scale at all.

However, the scope and duration of this Indian rebellion far exceeded that of the same period in history, and the cotton plantations opened by the British in front of them were also destroyed by the rebels.

In three to five years, it will be difficult for cotton in India to form a scale. Cotton planting in Egypt has not been promoted smoothly, and the domestic cotton spinning industry cannot afford to wait.

As for the rest of the world's cotton producers, the London government does not need to take into account, and that little production simply cannot meet their needs.

Without a new source of cotton, there is no room for the London government to choose. Domestic cotton merchants just want to make a profit, but they are not ready to play the domestic textile industry.

The cotton they are hoarding now will last until the first half of next year at most.

If not enough cotton is available this year, the British cotton spinning industry will be shut down from mid-1862.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer decisively chose to remain silent, and if he talked about the lack of money at this time, he would be too disregarding the overall situation, and he would be shot by the capitalists.

In the event of a collapse due to a lack of raw material supply, resulting in the collapse of the cotton textile industry, it would really be a day falling.

Just think about it, no one in the industrial chain, who accounts for a quarter of the population of the United Kingdom, would dare to bear this terrible consequence.

They don't even dare to trust the Interference Alliance, who knows if Ofasi will compromise with the northern government and sell them.

This kind of life-and-death matter is better than going into battle yourself.

The Secretary of State frowned and said, "Your Excellency, it is imperative to establish a cotton production area under our complete control, and we cannot be stuck in the lifeblood of others all the time.

Even the Austrians have smashed a cotton planting base to meet domestic demand regardless of the cost, and there is no reason why we can't do it. ”

John Russell's face changed, and he exclaimed, "No, we must send a fleet to the Americas at once to deter the Austrians and prevent them from falling to the government of the North." ”

Everyone reacted, and when the supply of cotton in various European countries was in trouble, the Austrian textile industry did not come out to grab the market.

Even for the sake of the supremacy of the cotton industry, the Vienna government had reason to cheat them. As for diplomatic agreements, they were meant to be torn up.

The British have done too much of this kind of thing, and naturally they think that the government of Vienna is the same.

For the sake of profit, there is nothing wrong with abruptly changing positions in favor of the northern government in exchange for the federal government cutting off their cotton supply.

Minister of State Agarwal added: "It is indeed possible that the Austrians are peeking into our position as the supremacy of the cotton spinning industry. Judging from their cotton consumption in previous years, the cotton production in West Africa has exceeded a lot.

But they didn't export it, but all of it was shipped back home. Because of the civil war in the United States, it is a foregone conclusion that the world's cotton production will be reduced this year, but cotton plantations in West Africa are increasing.

We can send someone to make a tentative purchase, and if they insist on not selling it, then we are in big trouble. ”

……