As January and February 1865 passed, the whole Confederate State of America was in a state of gloom and gloom, and the center of the Southern Front had completely collapsed with the defeat of Gettysburg and Vicksburg two years earlier. After fierce fighting, Tennessee had fallen almost entirely into the hands of the Northern Army. However, despite all the sacrifices at that time, the spirit of resistance in the south was not broken. It is true that a grim determination has replaced the ambitious hopes, but one can still find a glimmer of brilliance in the clouds. For example, the Yankees then tried to ride on the momentum of the victory in Tennessee to advance toward Georgia, only to be resolutely repulsed.

But now, as the light enters 1865, even the most optimistic people in the South are not optimistic. Last year, the South lost Atlanta, and people in Atlanta and Georgia as a whole know that this state is too important for the Confederate States of America and has a great deal to do with the war in the South. This state, which is still intact to this day, was a huge granary of the Confederate Confederate and a machine factory and storehouse, producing large quantities of ammunition and weapons used by the army, as well as most of the cotton and wool fabrics, and between Atlanta and Dalton was the city of Roma, with its cannon foundries and other industries, and Étowa and Aratuna, with the largest ironworks south of Richmond. Moreover, Atlanta had not only factories for pistols, saddle covers, tents, and munitions, but also the largest crushing plant in the South, a major railroad equipment factory, and a large hospital. Atlanta is also home to four railroads and intersections, which are undoubtedly the lifeblood of the Confederate Confederate.

But last year, all this was lost by the Confederate States of America!

In September last year, General Sherman's Northern Army captured Atlanta in one fell swoop, and two months later began its "march to the sea," in which it completely destroyed all kinds of enemy military installations, dealt a heavy blow to the enemy's economic strength, and paralyzed the southern economy. On the Eastern Front, General Grant led the Northern Army to drive the enemy near the rebellious "capital" of Richmond.

By the beginning of the year, slaves had fled from the southern plantations, and the plantation economy was on the verge of collapse. The naval blockade imposed by the Northern Navy almost cut off trade between the South and Europe and Panama. At the same time, opposition emerged within the originally unified South, with some small farmers joining the "Federalists" to engage in anti-war activities. Even the number of deserters in the South is increasing day by day, and food and daily necessities are becoming increasingly scarce throughout the South.

Now, the South is in a desperate situation!

A few dozen miles outside of Richmond, a large group of refugees was fleeing in front of Richmond. Among the refugees who fled, there were the poor and the rich, the whites and the blacks, the wounded on crutches, the dying on stretchers, the pregnant women, the gray-haired old men, and many more children who could not even walk steadily, either in carriages or on horseback, and many more on foot on the side of the road, and the roads were crowded with boxes of wagons. The refugees marched five miles ahead of the army, stopping for a few moments in Rysaka, in Calhon, and in Kingston.

"Now, the South is collapsing!"

Sun Tao, who was riding on a horse, said in a somewhat low tone, as a military attache stationed in the south, he had been in the southern army for the past few months, testing this army, and when his "trip" was over, all along the way were deserted, abandoned farms, and houses with open doors.

The road to Richmond was full of refugees, and occasionally a lone woman and a few slaves could be seen on the side of the road, who greeted the passing procession by the side of the road, brought buckets of well water to quench their thirst, and then they bound the wounded soldiers and buried the dead in their own graves.

For the most part, however, the farms were deserted, the crops were left untended in the hot fields, and many slaves had fled.

"We are now witnessing the demise of a nation!"

Although he did not want to admit it, Sun Tao, as an army officer, knew very well that there was no hope for the country, and even when he returned to the embassy in Richmond, in the face of the ambassador's question, his answer was still yes, and there was no doubt.

"Is there really no room for salvation?"

Facing Sun Tao's answer, Liu Jinshan asked again.

"If last year, we provided them with assistance, provided them with weapons, food and money, then it is certain that as long as our fleet breaks the blockade of the Yankees, then the aid to the South will change everything, last year, the South needed food and arms, and of course money, and now, even if we provide them with loans, arms and food, there is no way to save all this, after all, now the North has achieved a comprehensive advantage, what is the battle in the South now?"

Faced with the ambassador's question, Sun Tao smiled helplessly.

"Last year, the South was still fighting, but now, the soldiers of the South are suffering from hunger and fatigue in the scorching heat, marching the bumpy red dirt roads, staggering and struggling in the red mud, and their battle is to retreat, to dig trenches, to fight, and to retreat, and to dig trenches, and to fight again. Perhaps, as in the past, they can turn around and pounce like a demon to fight desperately with the Yankees, but although they kill the Yankees all over the field, the Yankees often have more newcomers to replenish them; They always form a treacherous south-easterly arc, passing through the rear of the Confederates and approaching Richmond step by step......"

As a soldier, Sun Tao is sympathetic to the southern soldiers, in his opinion, the generals and soldiers in the south are very advantageous, but it is a pity that the enemy they face has a complete industry as a support, and more importantly, there is a steady stream of manpower in the north, all of which is lacking in the south.

"So ......"

After a slight pause, Liu Jinshan stared at Sun Tao and said.

"If we intervene directly now, do you think it is possible to stop the attack of the Yankees?"

What the!

Looking at the ambassador in surprise, Sun Tao simply couldn't believe his ears, what, just intervene, is it ......

"Ambassador, Your Excellency, what did you say?"

Looking at the ambassador in front of him in surprise, Judas Benjamin, the secretary of state of the Confederate states, he simply thought that he had misheard, in the past year, he would have tried to ask the Chinese for help many times, but the Chinese always refused to ask for help, two years ago, when the war between China and Britain ended and diplomatic relations with the Union States were established, Washington immediately reacted, they agreed that the Chinese could move into the western states without hindrance, and the Supreme Court ruled that California's attempt to prevent Chinese immigrants from entering was unconstitutional. Chinese clearly value immigration rights more than the South – more than half a million migrants have poured into the western states over the past two years.

In this case, the South does not seem to matter to China, and they are even beginning to ban Chinese merchant ships from entering the war zone, although they have not banned smuggling to the South in Panama, but for the blockade fleet in the North, the biggest threat to the blockade fleet - the Chinese threat has disappeared because of the ban. This is one of the reasons why the South is in general difficulty.

And now, when Judas Benjamin, like everyone else, is in despair about the future of the South, the ambassador tells him that China is considering sending troops.

"You mean, you're willing to send troops to help us?"

Judas Benjamin asked incredulously, even a few hours earlier, when he had suggested to President Davis that he move the capital so that he could continue to command the war, but he knew very well that the war could not go on.

"Mr. Secretary, you must know that the Chinese Empire has always been a peace-loving country, and we are willing to coexist peacefully with any country, and two years ago, we have recognized your country, and we believe that now the invasion of the United States of America has seriously threatened world peace, and even more seriously affected the lives of millions of people in the south, so our country does not rule out the possibility of sending troops to maintain peace!"

Keep the peace!

When he said this, even as a diplomat, Liu Jinshan's heart couldn't help but rise a strange feeling, and now what he said may be the most high-sounding excuse in his career, but this excuse ...... Seems pretty good.

Keeping the peace?

Judas Benjamin looked at each other in surprise, his heart suddenly set off a wave, he didn't believe that Chinese was for any world peace, let alone for the interests of the people of the South, and he had dealt with Chinese for several years, he was convinced that these Chinese were simply a group of guys whose interests were paramount, and there was no friendship in their eyes at all, and even they believed that there was no morality between countries, some were just transactions, just interests!

"Of course, we are grateful to the Chinese Empire for its righteous actions, and I believe that anyone who loves world peace has seen how Lincoln and the American Federation trampled on peace and destroyed the lives of the people of the Confederate States......"

Even Judas Benjamin, as Secretary of State of the Confederate Powers, felt a little awkward when he said these words, but when he said them, he immediately had the illusion that for a moment he really believed all this.

I believe that the Chinese are for peace and justice.

Of course, this is impossible, as the Secretary of State of the Confederate States of America, Judas Benjamin knows very well that now, everything is just the beginning, after all, the ambassador in front of him has already told him unmistakably - "Troops may be sent!" ”

There are many ways to interpret this "maybe", but no matter how it is interpreted, if you want to turn "maybe" into "will", you must agree through negotiations, and the two sides must negotiate on the issue of sending troops, and it is certainly not easy to get China to send troops, after all, the current alliance is not the federation of the past, and China is also not the France of the past, and there is no practical benefit, they will not be able to send troops.

"We believe that no country in the world that upholds justice will sit idly by and watch the invasion of the American Union by the American Federation!"

When these high-sounding words were uttered, Judas Benjamin looked at the other and waited for what would happen next.

"Of course, especially for China, maintaining world peace is one of China's obligations!"

Smiling at the other party, Liu Jinshan once again threw out another prepared bait.

"Well, considering the current war damage caused by the people of the Confederate States of America, our Red Lottery has decided to donate a batch of food and medicine of no less than 10 million yuan to your country, and these materials will be delivered to the Confederate States in the next month!"

For two years, this was the best news he had ever heard for Judas Benjamin, who looked at each other almost dumbfounded, and in this moment, even if he no longer believed it, he had to admit one thing - the Chinese are generous.

Despite his excitement, Judas Benjamin was also well aware that for the American League, Chinese's generosity would definitely come at a cost, and Chinese more generous they were, the more they would have to pay......

Now, the reason why the Chinese are willing to give so much is because they want to get something from the Confederate States of America? What do they want? As Secretary of State of the Union State, at this moment, Judas Benjamin was even a little unsure of it, because the conditions offered by the Chinese were really too generous.

The possible dispatch of troops, coupled with 10 million yuan of food and medicine, will completely change the situation of the war, the south will not lose again, with the help of China, the alliance will not be occupied by the northerners at least!

But correspondingly, every diplomat knows that in the diplomatic field, there has never been a gratuitous effort, and the Federation could get the support of France because the French wanted to fight Britain, and now, China obviously does not need to use the Allied States to attack the North, and this means that if you want to get China's help, the Allied States must pay a sufficient price, otherwise, everything is just a castle in the air, and even the donations of the so-called "Red Swastika Society" cannot be transported to the Allied States. This has always been the reality between countries.

"I think every citizen of the Allied States will be grateful for the generosity of the Chinese Empire!"

Judas Benjamin solemnly thanked the other party, and after thanking him, he looked at the other party and asked tentatively.

"What can I do in the face of the generosity of the Chinese Empire?"

(Now that the new book (Daming Iron Bone) has been released, I am speechless here to ask for recommendations and collections for the new book again.) I hope you can support Speechless, thank you! ）