readx; Chapter 439 Resolution of the Peace Talks

After listening to Secretary of State Frederick's words, Alan Arthur couldn't help frowning, and after a moment of silence, he asked again: "Theodore, how much will it cost us to rebuild this railway?"

"Ten million dollars!" Frederick said without hesitation. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Of course, if before the economic crisis, 600 kilometers, most of which were built in the plains, would not have cost so much money, but after the project period was compressed to half a year, more railway workers and engineers would naturally be needed to construct it.

Although, due to the economic crisis, the wages of railway workers and engineers are not as high as before, this time they need more people than before, and the cost of construction is naturally higher than before.

"Okay, I promised. Immediately after the meeting, you go back and organize people to rebuild the railroad that the Chinese blew up. The appropriation from the Finance Department will be paid as soon as possible!" Alan Arthur only thought about it for a moment, and then immediately made up his mind decisively.

Since it is needed for war, there is nothing to hesitate about.

After listening to his words, Secretary of State Freick nodded earnestly, picked up a pen, and recorded the incident in his work diary.

At this time, Vice President William Wheeler, who was sitting next to Alan Arthur, asked, "Husband President, have you decided to continue this war?"

Hearing this, Alan Arthur couldn't help but show a touch of sarcasm on his face, and said: "Isn't this what the vice president's husband wanted before? And never compromise with those damn yellow-skinned monkeys. ”

"What? Want to back down now?"

Listening to Alan Arthur's words full of ridicule, even with the state of mind that William Wheeler has cultivated over many years in politics, he can't help but blush with shame. The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably, obviously because he was not lightly angry.

The reason why he insisted on fighting Huo Jiajun at the beginning was more because he wanted to use this war that he thought was sure to win to add points to his political career, so that he could win more support in the next presidential election.

I thought that the Huo Jiajun was so powerful, and the combat power of the American ** team was even worse.

In less than half a year since the start of the war, the United States has lost most of the tens of millions of square kilometers of land that the United States has skillfully seized over the past 100 years. And William Wheeler, who advocated the war at the beginning, also became the target of verbal criticism within the government.

Now it's pretty much certain. Regardless of whether the United States can win the war or not, and regain all the land occupied by the Chinese in one fell swoop. William Wheeler's political career is coming to an end.

"Husband President, we all know how bad the situation is in the country right now. Instead of putting all the money into a war like a bottomless pit, it is better to use all the money to restore people's livelihoods. By that time our economy and industry had recovered. After the national strength increases, we can organize more and equip stronger armies to get back the land we have lost from the Chinese!"

Although he was a little embarrassed by Alan Arthur's words, William Wheeler still spoke his opinion.

Of course, this opinion is not his own opinion, but comes from the political forces behind him, the big chaebols who really control the United States.

For these big plutocrats, the American economy in the eighties of the nineteenth century. The best of all are the Great Lakes east of the Mississippi River and the Atlantic coast, where the original thirteen states of the United States were founded, and they were the main body of the American economy. It accounted for more than 80 percent of the U.S. national economy before the economic crisis.

As for the remaining near-wild land on the west bank of the Mississippi River, it was only after the enactment of Lincoln's Homestead Law that it began to be gradually developed.

However, because of the short development time, the lack of roads, and the sparse population, this nearly 5 million square kilometers of land does not even account for 20 percent of the US economy.

Therefore, in the eyes of these plutocrats who control the US economy, it is not worth spending all the resources and financial resources of the United States on fighting for these desolate places, and it is better to use these energy and money to restore market order and return the economy to its pre-war prosperity.

After listening to William Wheeler's words, the high-level US government officials sitting in the conference room couldn't help but talk about each other, and many of them nodded in agreement.

Obviously, William Wheeler's political views are very marketable in the current US government. Especially after the Yili war spent more than $200 million on military expenses, but only got a single one with more than 1.5 million casualties, and recaptured three states from the Chinese who retreated voluntarily, such a terrible result.

This result seriously undermined the determination of the US government and Congress to continue the war with the Chinese. They began to hesitate, and calls for peace negotiations began to grow in Congress and within the government.

"Are you so sure that if we make peace, the British will be able to get the damned Chinese robbers to spit out the fat they have eaten and give us back all the land east of the Mississippi River?" asked Alan Arthur, staring at him after listening to William Wheeler's words.

Although his heart was weak by Alan Arthur's sharp eyes, thinking of the explanations of those bigwigs behind him, William Wheeler still hardened his head and said: "Yes, the past war in Yili has shown that the Chinese have no ambition to occupy the land on the east bank of the Mississippi River, otherwise this time they will never retreat 600 kilometers at once and give up the three states to us!"

"In addition, based on the information we have in the past two years, it is clear that the Chinese have moved people and set up administrative structures on the land on the west bank of the Mississippi River. However, he always did not care about the land on the east bank, and even after this war, he abandoned all the villages and cities in the east bank states, and only stuck to the big cities along the railway. ”

These actions all show that they have long formulated a strategy to abandon the east bank of the Mississippi River. ”

"Therefore, if the British help us, we can get these lands back from the Chinese through negotiations without paying much price, even sacrificing the lives of those soldiers." ”

At this point, William Wheeler has completely shaken off the embarrassment of being ridiculed by Alan Arthur at first, and his radiant face interprets the sleek and sophisticated nature of a politician.

"If William's husband had this attitude, perhaps the United States would not have suffered today!"

After speaking, Alan Arthur ignored his words, William Wheeler's ugly face, his eyes slowly swept over the faces of others, and he asked in a condensed voice: "Do you also have the same thoughts as Vice President William?" Pray for help from the British, and then sue for peace with the Chinese?"

"For this reason, even at the expense of ceding more than 5.5 million square kilometers of land west of the Mississippi River and Alaska to the Chinese?" said this, Alan Arthur's voice suddenly raised an octave, and an angry look appeared on his face.

"Husband President, I am not saying to give up the states west of the Mississippi River and Alaska, and when we have recovered our national strength, industry has been reinvigorated, and the United States has come out of the predicament, we can organize a stronger army to retake these lands from the Chinese." William Wheeler said hurriedly.

Although he hoped to negotiate peace with the Chinese through the British, the crime of betraying the country was too great, and he did not want to bear such a stain and infamy. Otherwise, he will be finished with his mouth for the rest of his life.

"Are you kidding, William Wheeler?"

After a sarcastic remark, Alan Arthur continued: "You all know how bad the situation is in the country right now, and how long will it take us to get the economy back to where it was before the crisis? Five years, or ten years?"

"In five or ten years' time, the Chinese will probably have consolidated their rule on the west bank of the Mississippi River, when their immigrants have long since stained millions of square kilometers of land, and they have built fortifications that will allow any military plan to attack them from land to be subjected to the most severe test, even a shameful failure." ”

"When the time comes, if we continue to choose war, the losses will be tenfold or even a hundred times the current one!

Alan Arthur's words shook the atmosphere in the conference room, and the government officials who had thought William Wheeler's words were very reasonable just now began to waver.

Seeing that the people who had won it hard to win and supported his views became hesitant after Alan Arthur's words, William Wheeler was anxious and hurriedly said: "President husband, you can't say that, although the Chinese have defeated us and taken away the land on the west bank of the Mississippi River, they are not without enemies. ”

"I believe that neither England nor France, nor even any Western country, would want to see the emergence of a yellow-skinned pagan power in a Western-dominated world. ”

"Therefore, we only need to wait until the contradictions between them escalate to the war, and then we can launch an offensive in the Americas, and I believe that when the time comes, if several of our countries start a war together, the Chinese will not be able to cope with it even if they are strong." ”

"Just like the Qing State in the Second Opium War, the Chinese will also be divided up by us united. When the time comes, the lost land will be back in our hands. And the price we pay will definitely be smaller than it is now. (To be continued......)