Hear George. Gordon. Mead's persuasion, Lincoln glared at him fiercely, and said with an unkind face: "Do you know what you just said? ”

"I know very well, Mr. President." Mead nodded calmly.

"Then do you believe it or not, I can remove you from all your positions at any time, and have you arrested and punished for treason?"

"You do have the right to do that now, Mr. President." Mead's face did not change, "But if I want to say something against my will, I can't do it, everything I do is for the United States!" ”

"Am I not here for America? Am I not in love with this country? Lincoln suddenly roared hysterically, "Yes, you all say that I am a lone husband and a thief!" Say that I have stolen this country and subverted the glorious traditions of America! But am I willing? Do I really like to be scolded by everyone, and I may even be stinking for 10,000 years? I'm not for the country yet? ”

At this point, Lincoln raised his voice again, slammed his fist against the table, and roared, "No one knows how much I love this country, and no one knows what I have given for this country!" For the sake of America, I can pay a qiē! Even if you sell your soul to the devil, you don't hesitate to do it! ”

"I know, I know, Your Excellency the President," said Mead, in a slower tone, "we all see what you do, and we know that you have done a lot for this country. Even if some people don't understand your efforts, history will remember your achievements, and one day, everyone will know how much you have done for this country, and sooner or later everyone will understand you. ”

"yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for that day." Lincoln suddenly laughed to himself, "And, like what you just said, once I agree to the Chinese's conditions." If the western territories are ceded out, then I will really be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, and I will really become a traitor who cannot turn over. ”

Seeing him like this, Mead suddenly sighed and wanted to say something to explain, but in the end he didn't say anything, and could only sympathize with the most powerful president in the history of the United States, but probably the worst president in the history of the United States.

Yes, Lincoln today, albeit with increasing power. has been above the parliament and the court, and is no different from the emperor who is a man of his word, but in the eyes of many people, he has become synonymous with a single husband, and his reputation is not good, and everyone is afraid of him more than they respect him.

But only Mead, who was close to him, understood that what Lincoln had been doing recently was not his intention, and that he was also a decent man who longed for freedom and equality in his heart. There is even some naivety, but it is precisely because of this that he was able to go from a poor lawyer to the leader of the Republican Party in one fell swoop. and finally defeated the long-standing Democratic Party and became the president of the United States of America.

If it were possible, Lincoln also wanted to be a good president who would go down in history, just like Washington. But no, who let him just put himself in such a situation of internal and external troubles.

If he had dealt with only one Southern rebel, Lincoln would not have been as ruthless as he was now. Relying on the hard power of the north, sooner or later it will be easy to crush the southerners who lack stamina.

In terms of being able to defeat the Southerners, the soldiers of the Union Army had reached a consensus at the beginning of the war, and it was precisely because of this consensus that the North was stronger than the South, so after the war, Lincoln spared no effort to launch an attack, even if he lost more and won less.

Originally, the situation was very good, although the north suffered a lot of defeats at the beginning, but the northern army was full of stamina, especially Grant's successive victories on the western front, so the overall shape of the war was still very good, which was very beneficial to the north.

However, since the Chinese went to war against the United States of America alone, attacked New Orleans that the Union Army had won with great difficulty, and then went north to encircle and annihilate Grant's main army, the whole shape has completely changed.

Since then, the western front has been defeated one after another, and one army after another has been wiped out by the Chinese, leading the entire western region to fall into the hands of the Chinese and the southern rebels again, and even causing many neutral states to defect.

At the same time, the Eastern Front did not improve in the slightest. Lee's troops were firmly in the air at Fredericksburg, and even as the strength of the enemy and the enemy declined, the Potomac Corps on the front line had to worry about being defeated by Robert Brown. Lee's Northern Theater Counteroffensive!

At this time, the British and the French did not stop, resolutely launched a sneak attack, took the northern town of Boston in one fell swoop, and used Boston as a stronghold, constantly sending troops to the north and west in order to expand their territory.

It can be said that since the Chinese entered the war, the United States of America has fallen into a dangerous situation that it has never seen before, almost single-handedly confronting the three most powerful countries in the world, and by the way, it is still divided internally, and the shape is even more dangerous than the original war of independence.

I think that when the War of Independence was fought, although the British army was huge and the Continental Army was not an opponent at all, fortunately, there were still French, Spanish and other powers to contain the British, and the British were completely unable to do their best here in the United States.

But now, there is a huge division within the United States of America, and there are three powerful countries outside that are eyeing each other, especially the Chinese, who were ignored before the war, have actually flourished, and until now, the United States of America has actually suffered one after another in the hands of this nascent Chinese empire, and in terms of the number of lost corps, the number of federal troops eliminated by the Chinese is the largest.

Therefore, in such a sinister situation, many far-sighted people in the United States, especially those in the military, have realized that it is impossible to cope with this sinister situation by continuing to rely on the inefficient system of separation of powers, and that only by dictatorship, by concentrating power and pooling the strength of the whole country to strike a blow hard, will it be possible to fight a piece of the sky and safeguard the independence and self-determination of the United States of America.

It was precisely because of the support of this group of people of insight, especially the strong support of the main military generals, that Lincoln was able to smoothly implement his dictatorial policy, gradually elevating the parliament and the courts, and achieving a situation in which all power was returned to the White House and all power was given to the president.

The new policies introduced by Lincoln, such as compulsory military service, such as the reform of dollar paper money, and the confiscation of rebels' property, all showed strong superiority, stimulated the enthusiasm of the people at the bottom to join the army, and formed many huge legions in a short period of time.

If it weren't for these new legions, if it weren't for the abundance of troops. I am afraid that the United States of America has long since failed and cannot survive until now.

However, although Lincoln's policies were good for the country, many ordinary people, especially capitalists, complained about it.

For those at the top of the capitalists, there is no doubt that Lincoln's series of policies, especially those of financial reform, touched their interests. They were unable to maintain control of the financial order in the United States and were forced to hand over their wealth to the American government.

To put it bluntly, Lincoln's policies were a policy of plunder, that is, plundering the propertied to enrich the treasury and thus provide money for the expansion of armaments.

Those policies are good for the country and bad for the capitalists, so the capitalists are 10,000 against Lincoln's policies.

And for the ordinary people of the middle and lower classes, they didn't like Lincoln either. One of the most disgusting is the compulsory military service system, which stipulates that young people of appropriate age must join the army, so that many people who do not want to be sent to death as soldiers are forced to be sent to the battlefield.

If the army's losses are small, it is fine, and the people at the bottom still regard being a soldier as a good profession. But today's front-line soldiers are fierce and dangerous, and there are heavy casualties at every turn, which makes many families lose their children and relatives, so this kind of high casualties. It has already made the middle and lower classes very dissatisfied, and the anti-war sentiment is getting higher and higher, and they have begun to attack Lincoln's policies.

Even. Many people began to feel that with Lincoln's current approach, the United States was no longer the same as the United States, and that it was better to let the North fail and let the South fight and reunify.

Those people think that in that case, it is nothing more than not giving more power to the, but the United States is still the same as the United States, and it must always be as dark as it is now, and even the southern division is better.

This idea is becoming more and more popular within the United States of America, and many people take it for granted, but in the eyes of people of insight like Mead, the idea is simply ridiculous, and it is a complete way to die.

At first glance, it seems that by letting the South defeat the North, the North and the South can be reunified, it seems to be quite like that, but let's talk about the unification of the North and the South without talking about the black slaves, which is also impossible under the current circumstances.

That's right, in the absence of foreign aggression, joining the South and defeating the North can indeed be reunified, after all, both the North and the South have the same roots, and it is nothing more than some different governance concepts.

However, the current United States of America is no longer fighting simply for the so-called emancipation of slaves and the maintenance of national unity, but for resisting national aggression and preventing the country from being divided by the great powers and then becoming torn apart!

For example, the Chinese, the Chinese entered the war, not at all to help the southern rebels, but for the vast territory of the west!

In fact, when the Chinese first started the war, their goals were clear, and they never concealed their purpose, but many people still thought that the Chinese troops who fought were just mercenaries of southerners, hired by southerners.

That's right, judging from the current superficial situation, the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which won consecutive battles on the Mississippi River and fought against the Union Army, was indeed not the regular army of the Chinese Empire in terms of identity, but only the private mercenaries of the so-called Eastern Bloc, who were also fighting in the name of avenging the Chinese in California and seeking explanations from the federal government.

But in reality? How can such a powerful force be just a private mercenary? It is obvious that it is China's ace army, but in the name of private mercenaries.

This set of tricks has long been tired of being played by the Western powers, and it is not a new thing in the international arena at all, it is nothing more than an East India Company supported by a state.

Moreover, China has already declared war on the United States, in the name of avenging the Chinese in the Hollywood area, but the compensation they are asking for is the entire western region, which is even larger than the territory that the United States originally grabbed from Mexico.

Although most of the western region is unopened barren land, and there are many Indians on it, it is not entirely the inherent land of the United States of America, but all people of insight understand that it is the future of the United States of America, and it cannot be abandoned.

Moreover, even if it were to abandon there, the United States of America would not be able to go back to the way it was, because there were still two hungry wolves, England and France!

If the Chinese look at the western territories that have not yet been opened, although the area is somewhat large, it is somewhat acceptable, then the demands of the British and French are absolutely unacceptable to the United States of America.

Because the British want New England. Although the French do not currently have clear territorial claims to the United States, it is said that the French have made an agreement with the Southerners to cede the whole of Florida to France as a French colony once the federal government in the North is defeated.

Not to mention Florida, let's talk about the New England region, which includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Massachusetts), Rhode Island and Connecticut, with a total area of 180,000 square kilometers, and the central capital is Boston!

New England is a huge part of the world. Rich in resources, and it is also a very important strategic location, once it is occupied by the British and connected with Canada, then the United States will completely become a second-rate country, and the British can invade whenever they want.

Moreover, these conditions are still the previous conditions. With the defeat of the United States of America now, I am afraid that their appetite will be even greater, and it is difficult to say that more territorial claims will not be made.

In other words, in this war. The rebels in the south were no longer the main problem, the Chinese, the British and the French were the first enemies.

In other words, the southern government is too influenced by these three countries and does not have much autonomy at all. The government of the South is like the position of the French royal family, the great villain of the French Revolution.

So, let's say the South wins, it really defeats the North. Then it is impossible to go back to the previous and play something to unify the United States, but it is necessary to cede a large amount of territory to these three countries, and to lose a lot of money, and it is even possible to become a vassal of these countries, which is not as good as the current division between the north and the south, at least it still maintains its independence and autonomy.

In addition, once the South reunifies the North and continues to implement the plantation economy of the South, the industries that the United States has developed with great difficulty will completely collapse, and sooner or later it will become a raw material production area and a dumping market for products of China, Britain, France, and other industrial powers.

Of course, the theory of sheep shearing between industrial and agricultural countries is not yet popular in the United States, and even the mainstream, but Lincoln and Mead are convinced of this theory, and they both believe that industry is the foundation of a strong country.

Therefore, if the short-sighted Southerners were allowed to unify the United States, the result could only be worse, at least Lincoln and others could not agree to continue serfdom and the plantation economy.

However, these things, Mead, as a general, naturally does not need to bear the price for this, he only needs to be a good general, and these complex things must be borne by President Lincoln.

In other words, as long as Lincoln remained true to his ideals, he would continue to suffer the infamy of being a single man.

"You just said," Lincoln suddenly raised his head, "as long as the Chinese withdraw, can you guarantee to defeat the British and French, and even the Southerners?" ”

"Yes, I promise!" Mead nodded, "After all, the Southern Army lacks stamina, and it can't be compared to us in terms of population, strength, or industrial capacity. As for the British and the French, their roots are in Europe, and they have a lot of dirt with each other, and even they have a lot of challenges in Europe, such as the Prussians, the Austrians, the Russians, etc., etc., so the British and the French can't spend a long time with us, they can't consume.

There are only Chinese, the Chinese have completed reunification, there are no opponents nearby, and they have a lot of mysterious technology, at least a lot of terrible weapons, and the combat effectiveness of their army far exceeds ours, at least not what we can withstand at present. ”

After a pause, Mead said: "Therefore, if China withdraws from this war, we will lose our most powerful opponent, and the next southern rebels and the Anglo-French coalition army, even if they all add up, we will definitely be able to defeat them." ”

"However, such a large area of land in the west was ceded out like this......

"Mr. President, I must warn you." Mead immediately said, "Even if you don't agree, we can't hold it, and although the Chinese are separated by the Pacific Ocean, they spare no effort to transport immigrants, and we, don't look at the distance is relatively close to the Chinese, but whether we take the land route or the sea route in a circle, we may not be able to compare with the Chinese." Of course, the most terrible thing is that the population of the Chinese far exceeds ours, so we can't compare with them to immigrants.

Therefore, since we can't hold it, it is better to give them directly, at least we can guarantee our core territory. ”

"I understand what you're saying." Lincoln nodded, "However, it's easy to cut out, but it's even harder to take it back...... Can we still get that land back? ”

"It depends on luck and strength." Mead said solemnly, "Our current land is not innate, the so-called land, but the powerful get it." As long as we can reunite and then work hard, when our strength rises, there will still be a chance. ”

After a pause, Mead said again: "Mr. President, we are not gods, we can only do the current situation well. Perhaps, we will become sinners now that we have cut out the West, but in this way, we can get rid of an enemy and ensure the integrity and independence of the United States, and this is the greatest merit. As for what will happen in the future, who can say for sure?

Just like China, it looks extremely powerful now, but sooner or later there will be a day of decline, they also have enemies, not to mention the Russians, let's talk about the British and the French, aren't they afraid of the Chinese?

Therefore, the country, like people, has the so-called luck, ups and downs are normal, and what we can do is to ensure the independence of the United States from reunification to the greatest extent and keep what we have in the past. As long as the United States still exists, a qiē is possible. The key to the territory is to see whose fist is bigger, and now that China's fist is bigger than ours, it is not a shame for us to temporarily back down.

Moreover, China is now so strong that sooner or later it will clash with the British and the French, who have huge interests in Asia, and with the Russians, there will be many enemies for China. Therefore, as long as we can stabilize ourselves, make every effort to seek development, and regain the opportunity to regain the western territory in the future, why bother with the rising China now? (To be continued......)