Fox dared to be the first to speak, he was not prepared at all, he thought that after the other bigwigs said their opinions, he would echo it in the back and it would be over, but he didn't expect Russell to be the first to speak by his name, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

"Mr. Prime Minister, the trade between Great Britain and the United States is mainly the sale of industrial products and the purchase of raw materials for agricultural products such as cotton and grain. The current civil war between the North and the South has begun to affect the normal trade between Britain and the United States, and if we can get the two sides to stop the war and arbitrate, we can exert influence and promote the normal development of trade......"

Listening to his words, Russell interrupted him a little helplessly, and had to turn to the Earl of Derby for advice: "Earl, tell me in detail, what should we do?" ”

Derby looked at the crowd with some smugness, cleared his throat, and said: "My opinion is that if you intervene in the war between the north and the south of the United States, you will also actively mediate, but you will not really mediate until they cease the war. In fact, it would be more beneficial for us in Great Britain to go to war properly, or to continue to wage war on a small scale for a long time! ”

Seeing that everyone looked at him in bewilderment, Derby explained: "In terms of immediate interests, the war between the north and the south of the United States will greatly increase the consumption of war materials, and at this time, we in Great Britain will supply them with no concessions. Because it is war materials, especially the materials such as arms and weapons, cotton clothes and cloths that are in short supply, we can set the prices by ourselves, and we can make a lot of profits. I have already heard that both the North and the South have begun to order warships from our shipyards in Great Britain. Moreover, because of the war, the tariff protection policy of the federal government of the United States of America in the north will not be so strict, which is very helpful for our industrial exports.

From the perspective of national strategic interests, it is necessary for the British Empire to maintain its hegemony in the world, especially in the Americas.

The rise of the Chinese Empire in the East is a profound lesson and example! Now the United States also has a trend of development in this direction, the north-dominated American Federation, from the 20s of this century to the present in just thirty or forty years, the population has increased from less than 10 million to more than 31 million today, has exceeded the native population of the Kingdom of Great Britain, whether it is agriculture, or industrial output value, has increased several times and dozens of times, for example, the output of cotton, from the original 330,000 bales per year to 3.84 million bales, They have built more than 19,000 miles of railroads, and we have only 12,200 miles in the whole of Western Europe.

Today, the rapid economic development of the United States, the vast territory and abundant resources, the discovery and mining of gold mines, and the construction of railroads have all made this emerging country in the Americas grow and develop. Moreover, from a political point of view, the so-called revolutionary movement in Europe more than ten years ago was supported by the Republican Party in the United States, and now many rebellious elements have fled to the Americas, and the American Federation has been ruled by the Republican Party.

Therefore, the continued strength of the United States must be contained. This is an enemy that is about to become like the Chinese Empire in the East! It is in our interest to allow the Confederate States to become independent and divide the United States. Of course, this requires us to step in and make trade rules. Today's war is a great opportunity! With Lincoln assassinated and the North defeated, we in Great Britain pretended to mediate, but continued to incite them to go to war from time to time, depleting both countries. As for the tariffs in the north, they must be greatly reduced, and for the cotton in the south, they must continue to keep their prices down with the competition of cotton in Egypt, India and other places! If possible, it would be best if our North American colonies could expand southward. ”

After listening to Derby's words, Russell couldn't help but look at the bad old man in front of him with some admiration, although he had a stubborn temper and a bad attitude, but he was worthy of being a prime minister, and his plan was the most beneficial to Great Britain. Only, will the North and the South of America be at the mercy of Great Britain?

Thinking of this, Russell said with some hesitation: "The earl said it very well! However, the French Empire and other Eastern countries also seemed to be interfering in the American Civil War. The Eastern countries do not seek to deal with it for the time being, and the French side must communicate first and reach an agreement. Some time ago, Napoleon III seemed to have sent someone to me and Her Majesty to negotiate the Civil War in the United States, but Her Majesty and I were so anxious about the rebellion in Great Britain and India that we ignored it. The envoys of the Confederate powers from the south also came to London to ask for a meeting, but the battle was unclear at that time, and I stopped them. Now that the battle is clear, we can negotiate with them! ”

Herbert, the Minister of War of the Navy, said directly: "Earl Derby's words are very reasonable. In my opinion, it is better to send the Atlantic Fleet of the Royal Navy to North America and force the United States to lift all barriers to tariff protection. At the same time, the blockade of the Confederate States by the Northern Union was dispersed. I have heard that although the North has suffered one defeat after another on the army side, the Southern Union does not seem to have much naval strength, there are not many ports in the South, and although the Northern Federation does not have many warships, it seems that it is ready to send a few warships to blockade the southern ports. ”

Russell shook his head: "As long as we recognize the independence of the Southern Confederate States, we will openly state that we will not interfere in the war between the North and the South." As the Earl of Derby said just now, it would be in our best interest for them to have a war between the north and the south on their own to consume national strength. Now Great Britain is in turmoil, Ireland and India are in turmoil, especially Ireland, which is slowly spiraling out of control. Great Britain was still too small in force, and in such a situation, it was not allowed to intervene directly by force, otherwise the other colonies and the mainland would cause greater unrest. Don't forget, that country in the East, but a poisonous snake, always staring at us, maybe a bite, and France is very happy to see this. ”

Everyone nodded, and Herbert realized that Great Britain was under-armed. Now that the Cabinet has approved the recruitment of soldiers in large quantities, it is simply speechless to refuse to approve a large-scale increase in military spending.

Russell added: "Lincoln was assassinated, and Washington was captured by Confederate troops. Earl Derby, Ramsay, you are familiar with the war and the Americas, tell me how long this war between the North and the South will last, and how will it end in the end? ”

The Earl of Derby, an old fox, shook his head and did not give an affirmative answer: "The war may still continue, as for whether it will be a year or two or three years, it is difficult to say." The outcome of the war will depend on which side we stand for in Great Britain. In any case, we must remain nominally neutral and not allow European countries to openly intervene in the direct war between the two warring countries in the Americas. Otherwise, when the British Empire uses troops abroad in the future, it is very likely that other countries will use this as an excuse to intervene and not maintain a neutral status. This was not good for the long-term strategy of the British Empire in the future. ”

It has to be said that Derby's vision is indeed very long-term, and he even thought of the interests of the British Empire in a few decades, and did not give any country an excuse to interfere in the British Empire's foreign military use in the future.

War Minister Ramsay said: "Although the southern army has the upper hand at the moment, as long as the north stabilizes for a while, it will be able to ease its breath." With the population and economic advantages of the north, the advantage of the war will slowly tilt towards the north, but the advantage of the south has been established, and the attitude of the British towards the south is now biased towards support, and it is likely that the south will have a better chance of victory in the end. It's just that neither side can completely defeat the other, and in the end there can only be an armistice and peace talks, just to see where the final line of junction is, and this is when our Great Britain comes into play. ”

Fox, who was in charge of trade, also took the opportunity to say: "Not bad! We must take advantage of this incident to reverse the unfavorable trade situation of Great Britain and the United States, and tear down the trade protection barriers of the American Federation. It is not only necessary to weaken the United States and divide it permanently, but also to obtain an important market for industrial commodities outside of Europe and a stable and reliable supply base for cotton raw materials. ”

Russell nodded, agreed, clapped his hands, and said: "I will go to report to Her Majesty, and then persuade the parliament to agree as soon as possible, and declare our position of recognizing the Confederate States of America in the south, not interfering in their wars, but maintaining normal trade with all countries." We don't want to see the American Federation grow into a second Chinese empire. ”