Just when the Ming Dynasty expanded its territory and incorporated Xinjin Port under its rule, the war in the eastern part of the North American continent also entered a turning point.

The high cost of two ironclad warships has made the southern government, which is not wealthy, even worse financially.

Most critically, there was a food crisis in the south due to a large-scale insect infestation in the fall.

Ying's father, who had always relied on him, was also very cold to the southern government's request for food aid.

In fact, when the war broke out two years ago, the British had planned to send troops directly.

Britain was far from weakened in this era, and was even in a period of expansion.

The plans of the British were finally put on hold.

First of all, the first reason is that the northern government of the United States recognized Sun Tzu very thoroughly, and did not leave any excuse for the British to send troops.

At the beginning of the war, the British immediately recognized the legitimacy of the Southern government and invited the Southern government to send people to London for diplomatic activities.

The diplomats were arrested by the Northern government "unsurprisingly", and Britain immediately condemned them and demanded an apology and compensation from the North, the so-called "Trent incident".

However, unexpectedly, the Lincoln government immediately instigated, not only sent the captured Southern diplomats out of the country, but also publicly apologized, satisfying the British demand for compensation.

Even throughout the war, the Northern government opened the domestic market to the British, acquiescing in their dumping of products.

This makes the North a friend that must be valued by the British capitalists to lobby the British government.

At the same time, Britain itself has a lot of troubles.

On the European mainland, the Prussians were accelerating their unification.

In particular, the golden combination of King Wilhelm I of Prussia and Chancellor Bismarck put great pressure on the French.

As allies of France, supermasters of the art of offshore balancing, and ultimate grandmasters of-stirring sticks, the British naturally had to spend more energy on the French and Prussians.

In addition, although Tsarist Russia suffered a crushing defeat in the Crimean War, its strength was also recovering.

Over the years they have been working against the British everywhere in Central Europe, the Balkans, the Black Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Far East, and even Alaska in North America.

In addition, through the two Opium Wars, the British finally opened the door to the country of China, and it was time to cultivate this last fertile soil.

Therefore, in the end, the British did not choose to enter the war directly, but by constantly transfusing blood to the weak south, in order to achieve the purpose of prolonging the war.

But this kind of blood transfusion is premised on not harming one's own fundamental interests.

This time the Southern government's request for food aid was beyond the tolerance of the British.

Because of various factors, this year, there are food shortages everywhere in the empire on which the sun never sets, and the potato famine in Ireland is almost about to be repeated.

Fifteen years ago, there was an outbreak of late blight in Ireland, and the potato harvest was almost wiped out.

Potatoes were the most important food crop in Ireland at the time, and they were also the main food of the lower Irish.

At that time, the British government was able to get food from the Americas to help the famine.

But instead of doing so, they are even collecting food from Ireland to supply London.

Natural disasters and man-made disasters have reduced the population of Ireland by 1/4, and the entire Irish region has become a living hell.

This event led to the separation of the Irish from the English, and the Irish independence movement intensified.

So this time there was a food crisis, and on the question of whether to choose relief for the Irish or the Red Neck in the South, the British government learned a lesson and decided to help the Irish who were a little more human.

Naturally, however, the food for relief could not have come from the mainland, but had to be diverted from the colonies.

There is also a considerable amount of them, which needs to be purchased from the government of Lincoln in the north.

Although the northern states of the United States are industrial states, their wheat production is also very impressive.

This makes the Lincoln administration finally no longer have to blindly pretend to be grandchildren to the British, and can occasionally be a father.

In short, in such a complicated international situation, the autumn offensive of the Southern Army is imperative.

In this battle, we must regain the heart of Ying Dad and reverse the unfavorable situation.

……

Richmond, Northern Virginia Regiment Station.

Although the weather in September is far from cool, 57-year-old General Robert Lee is already an old man in this era.

He wore the summer military uniform of the Northern Virginia Regiment, but the Peppa down vest that had winter military uniform already added to his shirt.

Only in this way can he feel a little warmth in this eventful autumn.

At this time, he was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses that were very different from the style of this era, and he was reading a letter carefully.

The letter was a reply from the mysterious owner of a garment factory in the north, and the black-rimmed glasses were also a gift from him.

Recently, Robert Lee has developed a keen interest in clothing design, as he has discovered that a good military uniform can indeed change the temperament of an army.

In the same way, a well-fitting, fashionable and restrained set of clothes can also change a person's temperament.

In the midst of his busy schedule, Robert Lee wrote a letter to the mysterious owner of the northern garment factory, with whom he discussed the mysteries of aesthetics.

I didn't expect to receive a reply from the other party soon, and I gave a gift to you.

This made Robert Lee even more fond of the factory owner.

At this time, reading the other party's letter, Robert Lee's expression gradually changed from a smile to a solemn one.

In the last letter, he only complained a few words about the current food shortage, but he didn't expect the other party to say that he was still doing grain trade and could provide low-cost grain, and even sent a small package with the letter.

That's right, the other side is an industrialist in the northwest.

In that vast and sparsely populated place, it was reasonable to have a few large farms.

Seeing this, Robert Lee hurriedly found another small bag from the package, which contained many granular grains.

This should be what the enthusiastic northern industrialists said, the kind of grain called "Fat King".

It seems that this is not just unprocessed food like wheat, but processed food like cereal.

Robert Lee opened the cloth bag, grabbed a handful of granular grain, put it in his mouth and chewed it.

To be honest, it tastes a little fishy at first, but after a few more chews, it doesn't feel anything.

Robert Lee was not disappointed.

The food in these years has not been good to eat there, and now there is a situation where money cannot buy food at all, as long as you can eat it, you will not lose money if you buy it.

Moreover, these "fat kings" are at the right price, and they seem to be very anti-hunger, and they are indeed high-quality military food, and the industrialist gave a conscience price.

"What a generous man who cares about freedom!" Robert Lee couldn't help but sigh.

"Yo, old man, what are you stealing alone? Let me try it too, and you can drink some of this health tea, which I finally bought from an English merchant. ”

Stonewall Jackson was also dressed warmly, and he was holding a teapot in his hand, which was soaked in authentic Ningxia wolfberries.

He grabbed a handful of "Fat King", poured himself a mouthful of wolfberry tea, licked his tongue, and felt that it tasted great!

Brewing a pot of tea for an old friend, Jackson couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Ancient Chinese medicine really has merit, who would have thought that I, who has received the inspiration of the Lord, can now eat and drink, and have recovered as before?" ”

"Thank God that it was the Lord's guidance that led Dr. Potter to bring us the secret recipe of the Emperor of China."

Robert Lee picked up the water cup, took a sip of wolfberry hot tea, and washed down the "fat king" with a sticky throat.

The warm sensation spread from his esophagus and stomach, making him feel warm in all his limbs.

Robert Lee didn't have the habit of drinking hot water before, but now it seems that, as Dr. Porter said, drinking more hot water is good for people's bodies, especially the elderly.

"Don't think about that damn food problem anymore, I asked Dr. Porter to do acupuncture, do you want to go along? Dr. Porter said that even if you don't have a disease, you can still get fit. ”

As if to add to the persuasiveness, Jackson added, "Did you know that the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Kingdom was very fond of acupuncture, and Dr. Porter said that he had personally pricked Cixi with needles." ”

Robert Lee was interested and asked curiously, "Oh? I've heard that Chinese women are very conservative, right? Would that aristocratic woman named Cixi be acceptable to strip naked and appear in front of Dr. Potter? ”

Although Robert Lee has not yet tried acupuncture, he has seen his old friend stripping naked and lying on a soft bed with needles and cupping.

I have to say that Oriental medicine is magical, but it seems to be much gentler than bloodletting, enema, and surgery.

That's why Dr. Porter quickly became a sought-after figure in Richmond.

Jackson shook his head with a smile and said, "What's this, Dr. Porter himself is an attractive person, and besides, Cixi herself asked Dr. Porter for needles for beauty, how could she be afraid of her naked body being seen?" And...... Well...... You can't tell anyone about it, I'm just going to tell you about one person......"

Although Dr. Porter himself did not say it, Jackson boldly guessed that Dr. Porter, who was just in his early 30s, had an unspeakable affair with Cixi, a young woman who is only 27 years old now.

The taboos of the royal family, the widow's carelessness, and the beauty of exotic love, these factors alone can piece together a whole set of infinitely reverie story bridges.

And in Jackson's opinion, these stories are absolutely true.

First of all, Dr. Potter was indeed a highly skilled doctor, and he used miraculous Oriental medicine, which proves that he had traveled to the East.

Secondly, Jackson checked the information, "Cixi" is one of the two empress dowagers of China, and her reputation is far less than that of the "Ci'an" empress dowager. Dr. Porter's mere mention of Cixi without mentioning Ci'an shows that he did have an old relationship with Cixi. (In fact, Zhu Fugui remembered a Cixi from the beginning, and fabricated a lot of Cixi's meat jokes in Daming, but was listened to by Potter.) ）

Finally, it is the incomparably precious internal secret medicine "Hundred Poisons Do Not Invade Cephalosporin Big Tonic Pill", and "I Love a Chai" that can help men regain their strength.

The fact that Dr. Porter was able to obtain such a precious medicine proved that he must have had a great relationship with Cixi.

Perhaps it was his use of masculinity that led to the acquisition of these drugs from Cixi.

And why did Cixi give Dr. Porter "I love a piece of firewood", not to mention the meaning of this.

In short, the story must be wonderful.

Of course, these are all speculations.

Jackson had great respect for Dr. Porter, and for his safety, he didn't make any secret about it.

He only told Robert Lee, a good friend, and two very strict-mouthed relatives, as well as three or five servants and guardsmen.

Otherwise, what if the British and French found out and asked the Qing court for a prescription?

Doesn't this put Dr. Potter's lover in a difficult position?

Furthermore, if their infidelity is made public, then the young woman named Cixi may be in danger!

Shaking his head, Jackson felt that his tone was very solid, and such a thing would not happen.

He patted his old friend and said, "Okay, let's finish drinking this cup of wolfberry tea, let's go to Dr. Porter for acupuncture, if you go late, you have to queue, I heard that there are many officials from the presidential palace who are also here." ”