Heading east, the Royal Train is heading across the vast Central Plains of North America, leaving towns behind.

In this endless black land, there are countless Chinese farms, manors and pastures, and now it is the granary of agricultural products in the Tang Empire, and the real production potential is being tapped little by little.

As can be seen from the statistical statements of the Imperial Ministry of Agriculture;

The total amount of various agricultural and animal husbandry products are all showing a straight line of soaring trend, cattle, sheep, mules, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks and poultry, meat, eggs and milk products, wheat, rice, oats, soybeans, rape, potatoes, corn, etc., the total output of various agricultural products has soared, and some have increased by as much as 3~5 times.

The Great Plains of Central North America, a super granary with an area of more than one million square kilometers, has only one or two percent of its production potential, which is enough to supply the rich agricultural and animal husbandry products of the Tang Empire's population of more than 32 million people, and has a strong export capacity.

This is the world's top agricultural and animal husbandry production base, is the original history of the United States to dominate the world agricultural market killer, enough to meet the needs of 5~600 million people, now in the hands of the Tang Empire, what is not satisfied?

Richard stared out the window of the car for a long time, and on the elegantly and luxuriously decorated royal train, the eucalyptus was placed on the head of the eucalyptus newspapers.

At this critical moment when the overall situation in North America is initially decided, there are many important things that His Majesty the Emperor needs to decide personally.

The North American War reorganized the entire continent, and the United States of America (North) was ruthlessly fragmented after its defeat and became the smallest country.

In accordance with the harsh post-war territorial division conditions of the North American Peace Treaty, the United States of America (North) was completely dismembered, with 92 per cent of agricultural production capacity, 77.4 per cent of industrial production capacity, 87 per cent of mineral resources, and only 39.6 per cent of the pre-war population size, and its national status plummeted.

After the war, its total area was about 575,000 square kilometers, including 12 states, of which the largest area was New York State with 122,000 square kilometers, followed by Pennsylvania with an area of 116,000 square kilometers, and Ohio with a total area of 100,600 square kilometers, and the other 9 states were very small, of which the bottom 4 states were New Jersey 19,000 square kilometers, Connecticut 12,500 square kilometers, Delaware 5,060 square kilometers, and Rhode Island only 2,706 square kilometers.

On the other hand, after defeating the enemy Confederate States of America, after entering Kentucky and West Virginia, there are a total of 16 states, including Texas, the largest state on the North American continent, with an area of 678,000 square kilometers, and its strength has been further expanded.

The total area of the 16 states of the Confederate States of America is as high as 2,526,000 square kilometers, because the southern states are generally larger, and there are 14 states with an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers, such as South Dakota with an area of 196,540 square kilometers, North Dakota with an area of 178,647 square kilometers, and Oklahoma with an area of 177,847 square kilometers.

The greatest gain was naturally the Tang Empire, which dominated the entire North American war, and during the war, it successively acquired the land of Kyushu, in addition to the 267,000 square kilometers of land originally belonging to Mexico, Monterey and Dejuana, and cut eight central states from the United States of America.

They are Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Iowa, Indiana, and Kansas, with a total area of 1,262,000 square kilometers.

If we add the 267,000 square kilometers of territory in Monterey and Dejuana, the North American War expanded a total of 1.53 million square kilometers of land in the ten states.

So far, the total territory of the Tang Empire has expanded from 8.606 million square kilometers to 10.136 million square kilometers, surpassing the 8.51 million square kilometers of Brazil in South America, becoming the largest country in the Americas and reaching the peak of the empire.

Look back at history

In the US-Tang War that ended in 1849, the Tang Kingdom occupied the six northwestern states of the United States through a treaty, with a total area of 1.477 million square kilometers, plus the previous 3.01 million square kilometers of land of the Tang Kingdom, making the total area of the Tang Kingdom reach 4.49 million square kilometers, second only to Brazil and the United States, the third largest country in the Americas (including North and South America and Central America).

In September 1851, after the signing of the Treaty of Mexico, the Tang Kingdom annexed eight southern Mexican states, increasing the total area from 4,490,000 square kilometers to 5,593,000 square kilometers (note: the increase includes 17,500 square kilometers in Hawaii and 75,500 square kilometers in Panama).

Later, through the purchase from the Russian Empire, another 1.717 million square kilometers of Alaska were acquired, bringing the territory of the Tang Kingdom to 7.31 million square kilometers, reaching a new milestone.

After this

The Tang Empire successively acquired 780,000 square kilometers of Paradise Island (New Guinea Island), colonized Costa Rica to obtain 51,000 square kilometers of territory, and successively obtained Mexico and the Aztec Republic to annex them, adding a total of 459,000 square kilometers of land, expanding the empire's territory to 8.606 million square kilometers.

After the North American War

As the victor, the Tang Empire occupied the ten states of the United States of America, with a total area of 1.53 million square kilometers, and expanded its territory to 10.136 million square kilometers, becoming the fifth largest empire in the world after the British Empire, the French Dynasty, the Tsarist Dynasty, and the Manchu Dynasty.

Taking a deep breath, Richard leaned back in his chair contentedly and lit a top-of-the-line Cuban cigar and enjoyed it.

At his hand was a warm and handwritten congratulatory letter from Emperor Pedro II of Brazil from the Bragança dynasty.

The congratulatory letter said;

I would like to extend my most sincere greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Empire with the highest royal etiquette, and congratulate His Majesty the world-famous and legendary Emperor Richard on another brilliant victory in the war, which will surely have a far-reaching impact on North America and even the whole of America.

Pedro II just rightly expressed his envy for the peak military power of the Tang Empire, because the Brazilian Empire also had a war because of the Uruguayan issue, but unfortunately after the defeat, Uruguay became independent, spending 120 million Kruza in vain, and the army sacrificed more than 8,000 people.

Compared with the Southern and Northern Wars, the Emperor of the Tang Empire, Richard, and the Emperor of Brazil, who fought in the South American War, expressed his envy and regarded him as an idol in his mind.

One more thing

South America is also plagued by regional disputes, with Uruguay and Paraguay, and neighboring Chile, which are between the two major powers of Brazil and Argentina, not fuel-efficient lamps, and are deeply contradictory to each other.

It's not good to say

If tomorrow a war breaks out in South America, it will not be surprising that the enemy may be Paraguay, Chile, or Uruguay, and the chaotic situation in South America is so evil.

Although Brazil is a large empire with a population of 10 million, its rule is corrupt and its military is weak, and Paraguay, which has a population of only more than 300,000 next door, does not look at the Brazilian Empire and cries for war from time to time, which makes the Brazilian Emperor Pedro II feel very faceless.

The reason why Richard paid attention to the situation in South America was inseparable from the colonial expansion strategy of the second phase of the Tang Empire.

Because the next phase of the empire's expansion focused on the Kingdom of Patagonia in southern Argentina, a kingdom founded mainly by the Mapuche people, an Indian nomadic people, occupying about 1.9 million square kilometers of land in the southernmost part of South America.

Today's Argentina has a total population of about 1.5 million, mainly around the United Provincial Republic with the province of Buenos Aires as the core, and its territory is less than one-third of that of later generations.

More than ten years later

The Argentines would have organized desert expeditions to conquer the Mapuche regime with the advanced rifles of the West, extending their territory all the way to the southernmost part of South America, which they did not yet have the ability to do.

Because the Argentines are also facing the challenge of Paraguay, it is said that this is a historical legacy, but because the parties stand in different positions and look at the problem from different angles, irreconcilable disputes will naturally arise.

For example; Argentina, as the core of the former Spanish Viceroyalty of La Plata, has been trying to inherit Spain's rule in the region after independence, including Paraguay and other countries into its own territory.

Therefore, it has been 50 years since Paraguay's independence, and Argentina refuses to recognize it at all, only considering Paraguay as its own homeland.

Brazil, its northern neighbor, has a smaller appetite and is targeting the Mato Grosso region in northern Paraguay.

But that doesn't work either

This is because the Mato Grosso region is rich in yerba mate, which is loved by Europeans, and has always been the lifeblood of Paraguay.

As a small landlocked country, Paraguay naturally maintains a high degree of vigilance, and its relations with each other are quite bad, and it is almost on the verge of war at all times.

Paraguay declared its independence in May 1811, officially ending nearly 300 years of Spanish rule.

Although Paraguay is in charge of its own country after independence, life is actually not easy because its geographical environment is too bad.

Paraguay is deep inland and has no access to the sea, and the La Plata region where it is located is still a powder keg.

The La Plata region is a large plain with abundant rain, fertile land, and abundant produce, almost like the great plains of central North America.

The La Plata region has long been a battleground for soldiers.

Back in the colonial era, it was the place where the two colonial empires of Portugal and Spain wrestled secretly, and after the independence of South America, it became a game game between Brazil and Argentina.

Paraguay is in the middle of the gap between the two countries, and life can be described as bad!

In particular, it is important to note:

In addition to the threat from its two major neighbours, Argentina and Brazil, Paraguay also has to deal with calculations from the United Kingdom.

Truly speaking, Paraguay is a victim of the war pattern in North America.

Mid-19th century

Britain was in the golden period of expansion in the Victorian era, the establishment of colonies all over the world, after seeing Spain and Portugal withdraw from Latin America, the local colonial forces were in a relatively vacuum, and Britain naturally would not let go of such a good opportunity.

Especially after the outbreak of the American Civil War, Britain's cotton trade suffered a great impact, and the international price of cotton skyrocketed, and the price of raw cotton even more than quadrupled, which made British textile factory owners miserable.

The military strength of the Tang Kingdom was at its peak, so the British hit Paraguay, which was rich in cotton, to make up for the shortfall.

Paraguay, which has just become independent, has just come out of the tiger's mouth, so it is naturally reluctant to enter the wolf's den again.

Paraguay has taken a relatively conservative attitude towards outsiders like the British, and it has a bit of a taste that it can't afford to provoke and can hide.

Paraguay is like a charming little lady, Brazil in the north makes up its mind, Argentina in the south also regards it as its own, and the British Empire, a strong man from outside, tries to cut a lever and break all the laws, and directly wants to marry home.

Many situations are superimposed, and there is simply no way out.

The international environment in the 60s of the 19th century was so bad, if a weak country did not want to be a vassal power, it was basically impossible for it to stand alone in the regional competition, and it would either be invaded by foreign enemies, or the regime would be destroyed, or it would be dismembered and encroached upon, and basically no good results would be achieved.

Seeing that Paraguay did not cooperate, the British started to make a bad decision.

Since Paraguay was a landlocked country, it was not practical to use force directly, so the British turned to Brazil and Argentina in the hope of controlling Paraguay through their hands.

Paraguay was already struggling to deal with two powerful neighbors, and with Britain as a-stirring stick, the geopolitical situation around Paraguay has undoubtedly become more dangerous.

Generally speaking

In the face of a terrible situation like Paraguay, where there are almost no lives, most countries can only be incarnated as grass on the wall, swaying left and right in the cracks between the major powers, striving to maintain the balance of power between regions, and ensuring their own security through the involvement of major powers.

For example, Thailand, Burma, Yin Lang, Fuso, Greece, Bulgaria, and even the Kingdom of Sardinia before the completion of the war for the unification of the Apennine Peninsula were all such vassal policies in order to find a temporary respite.

However, the Paraguayans did not play their cards according to common sense and did not choose to compromise with the powers, but embarked on a very tough path of armed resistance under the leadership of the third president, Andrés López.

In the end, the current president of Paraguay, Andrés López, is an out-and-out thorn, and he admires the Tang Emperor Richard and the French Emperor Napoleon III, both of whom are representative figures of the expansion of world power.

Needless to say, after the French Emperor Napoleon III succeeded to the throne, he instigated and single-handedly led the Crimean War in 1854, united Britain to declare war on Russia, and finally won the war.

In 1857, he joined Britain to launch the Second Opium War, and in 1860, he forced the Manchus to bow their heads by force and signed a series of humiliating treaties.

In 1859, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, successfully forcing the Habsburg Emperor Joseph to sign the Treaty of Defeat, seizing two important areas at the northern tip of the Apennine Peninsula.

Victories in a series of wars of colonial expansion made the French Emperor Napoleon III rise in prestige and became a representative of the great monarchs of Europe, the other being King William I of Prussia.

The father of the current president of Paraguay, López Sr., is the second president of Paraguay after independence, and he has been in power for 22 years, committed to economic development, and laid a very solid foundation for governance.

During the reign of López Sr

Paraguay has changed its former isolation from the rest of the country, actively made friends with foreigners, introduced foreign-funded technology, hired a large number of engineers and technicians from Europe, vigorously developed infrastructure and industry, built transportation and communication facilities, built railways, built steel mills, and so on, thus establishing a very good economic foundation for Paraguay.

Under the influence of his father, the current President López López has also been able to fully contact the European and American worlds, and can speak English, French, and some Chinese.

In 1853, at the age of 26, López personally led a delegation to visit North America and Europe, visiting Tang Kingdom, the United States, Britain, France, Italy and other European and American countries.

During this period, López not only saw the power of advanced military technology in Europe, witnessed the invincible style of the ironclad cavalry of the Tang Kingdom, but also received a meeting with the legendary King Richard, and warmly encouraged him.

This made the young López enthusiastic, and he always dreamed of becoming the "Demon King Richard" in South America, which made the United States frightened.

He aspires to recreate the invincible demeanor of "Richard the Demon King", complete the great cause of the old man of the United States and step on Mexico, and become a great leader who is admired and praised by the people.

Of course, there is no United States or Mexico in South America, but Paraguay has never lacked strong enemies, Argentina and Brazil, which President López sees as a weakened version of South America.

What the Tang Kingdom can do, Paraguay can also do.

Therefore, during his tenure, President López vigorously developed armaments and built an elite army of about 30,000 people, all equipped with advanced King-type bolt-action rifles and 3-, 6-, and 12-pounder Colt breech guns.

And hired officers from the Tang Empire for training, and also established an elite cavalry team with a total of about 4,500 people, and established the first cuirassier heavy cavalry regiment in South America with a total of about 1,000 people, which really spared no effort.

Fortunately, Paraguay is landlocked and has no navy, otherwise President López would have purchased the advanced "Autumn Moon" class ironclad destroyers, there is no doubt about that.

Today, the Royal Navy of the Tang Empire has been regarded as the world's leading advanced naval force, and after the retirement of several old sail warships (gifted by the British), the Royal Fleet has fully implemented steam ironclad.

This especially irritated the British Royal Navy, and the eyes of jealousy were red.

All in all

Paraguayan President Andrés López, as in the past, was successfully led into a misguided process, and soon declared war on Brazil and then Argentina, in an attempt to repeat the success of his idol in North America.

Whenever he thought about this, Richard would have a faint evil smile on his face, which was really fulfilling.

The royal train has been galloping all the way to the east, starting from Chang'an, the train has been running day and night for eleven days, and it is still in the vast territory of the Tang Empire.

The Tang Empire traveled from north to south, from the northernmost Alaska along the west coast of North America to Panama in Central America, with a total distance of more than 12,200 kilometers, from the westernmost paradise island of the empire, New Xi'an, to the easternmost Detroit, a distance of 23,400 kilometers, and it took two months to take a boat and train.

With such a vast territory, how can it not be intoxicating?

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