"Welcome, Lord Duke. The journey from China to here must have been very hard...... Especially to come to the United States at this stormy time, thank you so much, the entire Union will always remember your name. ”

It was Jefferson who spoke. Davis, President of the Confederate States of America. There was a reluctant smile on his thin face, but the melancholy in his eyes couldn't be concealed. The conversation took place in a small Montgomery cottage in the countryside, now Davis's presidential residence. And it was none other than Jérôme, who had traveled thousands of miles to reach the United States. Admiral Duke Peel, who was leaning against a fireplace, looked a little sluggish, and it seemed that the journey was really a bit tiring.

And Chen Yucheng also sat in the room, holding a cup of hot coffee, while listening to the conversation between the two people, and by the way, he was settling the account in his heart - it was the account of the commission for the arms transaction, and he had successfully sold 10.3 million Mexican silver dollars worth of arms in the past two months! These include the Jason-1859 machine gun, the Bese-Wheat 5-pound gun, the Jason-1858 rifle, the 38-caliber round-headed bullet, the 5-pound shell, the grenade, black powder, explosives, and the breech-loading gun modified from the Besemai rifle. This uses 45-caliber metal cartridges, but they cannot be fired in bursts, only "one shot", and each such rifle costs 18 silver dollars and comes with 100 rounds of ammunition. As far as the rear-loading gun is concerned, it is definitely a bargain. Therefore, it was very popular with the cash-strapped Confederates - in fact, the Ming Army is now making do with this modified Besemai rifle, and the Jason-1858 and other high-end goods are only equipped by a few elite troops.

It is also worth mentioning that Chen Yucheng sold the arms this time. All were settled in gold and silver coins. The sale of "land for foreign guns" was supported by President Davis. But it requires the consent of the states of the Union to do so, and this will not happen overnight.

As for Henry. News of DuPont's arms sales had reached Montgomery, and Lincoln had agreed to buy the Jason-1858 rifle, and an hour after he took over the presidency on March 4, he instructed the War Department to order 20,000 Jason-1858 rifles with 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, and to go to Smith. The Wesson Company helped retrofit the Springfield M1855. Converted into a breech gun, this rifle is heavily equipped in the US federal and state armies, almost the standard weapon of the US military, and the performance is also very superior, it is considered the pinnacle of breech guns, and can theoretically hit targets up to 1100 yards away. However, in this era when breech guns dominate the battlefield, this rifle, which once played a leading role in the Civil War, has become somewhat outdated.

Along with the weapons order, there was a conscription bill that required Congress to authorize the federal government to recruit up to 200,000 volunteers for 12 months. Used to quell rebellions in the American South. Within a week of the enlistment bill being passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, four states, including Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina, announced their accession to the Confederate States.

Other than that. The Utah Legislature in the western United States passed a decree declaring armed neutrality and banning federal and Union troops from entering Utah. California, for its part, did not take any position at all, neither professing its support for the Union, nor for the Union, nor did it express its neutrality...... It seems to have lost its direction completely! And the coal-rich western part of Virginia was separated from Virginia and sided with the Union

However, even without the support of Utah and California, the Union has as many as 22 and a half (West Virginia) states and Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska and New Mexico, as well as Washington, D.C., with a total population of more than 20 million people, and most of the industrial and large cities of the United States, which is far more powerful than the Union States.

In the face of such an enemy, the President of the Union State, Davis, was naturally depressed. But the good news is not without it, the Ming Empire, the French Empire and the Mexican Empire, the three world powers (Mexico is also a power?) Soon after the proclamation of the Confederates of the United States, the Confederates of America were officially recognized - even if the United States of America severed diplomatic relations with them!

And the support that came was not only diplomatic recognition, France and the Ming also sent a large joint military advisory group, ready to help the Allied States train their troops. And the Empress of Mexico also expressed to the Union through Guò official channels: After the complete pacification of Central America (Guatemala City has been occupied, the United Kingdom of Central America has been established, and Mathilde I is also the queen), she can go to war with the Confederate States of America against the Federation!

However, the support of the Mexican empress did not make President Davis happy at all - how did he not know that behind the Mexican intervention meant the interference of the Ming and France! Otherwise, Mexico, which can't even win with the Texas militia, will not dare to take care of the domestic affairs of the United States after eating the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard. And the interference of the Ming and France is only afraid to collect high returns......

"Mr. President, can you tell me about the situation of the Coalition forces?" Although the old Peel with wrinkles on his face was a little tired, he still wanted to devote himself to his new work, "I think the time is very precious now, and we must do our best, how many people are there in the current Alliance Army, and what is the equipment situation?" ”

"The Union Army? 15,015 people ......"

"What? It's just such a small person? How to fight? Old Peel's eyes widened, and he looked directly at Chen Yucheng, who was drinking coffee. The military attache in the Confederate States of America told him that the Confederate States had mobilized 200,000 troops. Now the president of the family says that there are only 15,000, which is still a hair!

Chen Yucheng explained with a smile: "Grandpa, the Confederate States of America implements a federal system, the states have great power, they have an army, the alliance has no troops, and the 15,015 people are also nominal, and most of them serve in the state armies." But the states have strong troops. The most powerful of these is Virginia, because this state has a Virginia Military Academy, which has produced a large number of excellent officers. The new equipment of the two divisions purchased by the Confederate government was also given to the state of Virginia, and the government of Virginia used these weapons to form two divisions, which were exactly the same as the formation of the Illuminated Army. With these two divisions as the backbone, the Virginia Right Wing Army and the Virginia Left Wing Army were formed, with a total strength of about 50,000 men. by James. Brigadier General Longstritt and Thomas. Brigadier General Jackson conducted the training with the assistance of military advisers who had arrived in advance. According to the plan, by the end of July, the Northern Virginia Corps would be ready for use. ”

"There are 50,000 men in the Northern Virginia Regiment alone...... "Old Peel breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "how long has this unit been training now?" ”

"It's been 2 months." Chen Yucheng replied.

"2 months is enough!" Old Peel waved his hand, looked at President Davis, and said, "Mr. President, there are 806 French officers who have arrived with me, all of whom speak English and have rich combat experience, so they can be temporarily incorporated into the Northern Virginia Legion, and then train for two weeks." I want ...... No, it was I who built the Yì Alliance to launch an offensive in late May. The targets are Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York! ”

"What!?" President Davis and Chen Yucheng shouted at the same time. Old Peele's plan was so bold that he wanted to use the 50,000-strong Northern Virginia Corps to capture the most important cities in the North!

President Davis shook his head again and again when he heard the elder Peale's advice: "Duke, there are also strong state militias in the north of the United States, and the capital Washington is good to say, it is originally pro-southern. But Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...... Even if we can occupy it for a while, we can't control it for a long time! ”

Old Peel laughed, blinked, and said with a smile: "We don't have to occupy there. Mr. President, the Confederates are not aggressors, and the Northern Virginia Legion can go to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York to reason with the people of the North. We just need to let the people of the North understand why we want to form a Union State, and if they know the truth, they will definitely stand by us and sympathize with the cause of the South, so that the war will not end? (To be continued......)