"It's okay to put pressure together, but after the division of the South, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Arkansas are places like this, and my Tang Empire wants it."

Emperor Richard directly put forward the asking price and instructed Prime Minister Dong Jie; "Tell the British that the Chinese population is the majority in these central states, and that's our condition. If you agree, you will work together, otherwise everything will not be discussed. ”

Sure enough, he is worthy of being the iron-blooded founding emperor, and the geese have to leave a leg when they fly through the door, and it is obviously impossible for the British to get something without paying the price.

"Wechen obeys."

Now that His Majesty the Emperor has set the charter, Prime Minister Dong Jie, who has always been known for his action, has a bottom in his heart and immediately starts operating.

On January 11, 1879, the Tang State issued a proclamation demanding that the Confederate States of America renounce slavery, which violated human nature, and then transform into a civilized country.

If the requirements cannot be met, the sanctions against the United States of America will be further strengthened and the countries of the United States will be mobilized to join the sanctions ranks.

This policy announcement caused an immediate sensation as soon as it was released.

The cotton-growing states, which are the strongholds of old-fashioned whites in the south, mainly North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, reacted particularly fiercely, clamoring for no sacrifice of their property and rights.

Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky, where there are many Chinese immigrants, reacted more rationally. Tend to succumb to pressure and renounce slavery, which has been abandoned all over the world.

Differences of opinion within the United States have contributed to the division of states within the United States, and in Richmond's Capitol Hill, it is not uncommon to see congressmen with different opinions fighting and tearing each other apart.

Just a week later

Britain on the other side of the Atlantic issued a solemn anti-slavery stance, echoing the severe sanctions imposed by the American hegemon Tang State, and said;

"The British Royal Navy will strengthen inspections in the Atlantic region, and take measures such as detaining and detaining cotton ships originating from the US allied countries, so as to promote a policy change in the country."

This is called a house leak that happened to be rainy and rainy, and the ensuing critical attacks accelerated the division within the US alliance, and exploded like a ripe watermelon.

March 22, 1879

Florida, which has a large Chinese population, officially declared its secession from the Confederate States of America, established the Republic of Florida, renounced slavery, and requested military asylum from the Tang Empire.

It's been three days

The Tang Empire agreed to the request of the Republic of Florida and sent a small fleet from Cuba to Miami, nearly 150 kilometers apart.

Richmond, on the other hand, was vehemently opposed to the independence of the Florida Republic, hoping that the European powers would intervene to administer justice, but did not want to be hit in the face.

A week later, Britain publicly announced its recognition of the Republic of Florida, followed by the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria.

France delayed until mid-May, after the vast majority of European countries had recognized the new Republic of Florida.

Be encouraged by this

On April 16, Kentucky and Oklahoma declared autonomy, abandoning backward and ignorant slavery and transforming into civilized countries.

April 23rd

Mississippi, together with Arkansas and Louisiana, publicly declared independence from the Confederate States of America, established the Republic of Mississippi, renounced slavery, and asked for military asylum from the Tang Empire.

A week later, the vanguard of the Royal Army of the Tang Empire entered Arkansas and Louisiana to declare the recognition of the nascent Republic of Mississippy and its military protection.

May 7th

After a referendum, Kentucky and Oklahoma declared their annexation to the Tang Empire, and asked the Tang Empire to send a prince to the throne to establish the Kingdom of Kentucky and the Kingdom of Oklahoma.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty granted his request and successively sent His Royal Highness Tang Li Yuan, the Grand Prince of the Duke of Hawaii, to crown the King of Kentucky and go to Kentucky to take up the vassal status.

His Royal Highness Don-Li Geng, Duke of Panama and the second prince, immediately stepped down as governor of the Andean Governor's Palace, and was added to the king of Oklahoma to take up his vassal in Oklahoma.

Originally, the imperial royal family also paid attention to Arkansas, but unfortunately Arkansas Chinese immigrants accounted for only 35.7% of the total population, and the Chinese-American political party did not win the state's gubernatorial race, and the operation fell short.

Eventually, Arkansas, along with Louisiana, joined the Mississippi New Republic Project, and the Tang Empire had no choice but to give up and settle for the next best thing.

As a result of this split, the Confederate States of America were devastated, the mountains of raw cotton in the cotton fields could not be sold, the white slave owners were angry, and the country was torn apart but unable to recover.

After the establishment of the Republic of Mississippi in the Republic of Florida, the Tang Empire successively lifted sanctions, and the cotton produced was continuously transported to Europe and North America by sea, but the Confederate States of America were trapped by sanctions.

July 7, 1879

The seven states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, accounting for 57% of the total population of 13.3 million people in the former Confederate States of America, or more than 7.58 million people, announced the renunciation of slavery, which had been criticized by the world, declared that the Confederate States of America no longer existed, and established the Carolina Republic.

The Southern Carolina Republic of the United States covers an area of 593,000 square kilometers and has a total population of more than 7.58 million, of which about 3.15 million are free blacks who have been liberated, accounting for 4 percent of the total population, and is the country with the highest proportion of blacks.

There are only more than 440,000 Chinese expatriates in the country, making it the smallest North American country with a Chinese population.

The Republic of Mississippi covers an area of 355,000 square kilometers and has a total population of 3.06 million, of which 570,000 are free blacks, accounting for 15.7 percent.

The country has a population of 1.01 million ethnic Chinese, one of the third in the world, and has an important voice in the political arena.

The Republic of Florida covers an area of 170,000 square kilometers and occupies a vast coast in the south, with a total population of 713,000, of which more than 80,000 are free blacks, accounting for less than 12%.

The country has a population of 497,000 ethnic Chinese, less than 130,000 whites, white immigrants mainly from Italy, France and Germany, and the largest just league is the ruling party, which has an absolute dominant position.

The Kingdom of Kentucky has a total area of 104,600 square kilometers and a total population of 965,500, of which 96,000 are free blacks, accounting for about 10%.

This is the central region with a large number of Chinese immigrants, with a total population of about 560,000 to 570,000, and has a decisive influence in the political and economic spheres of the kingdom.

The Kingdom of Oklahoma covers an area of 182,000 square kilometers and has a total population of about 834,000, of which 67,000 are free blacks, accounting for about 8%.

More than half of the country's Chinese immigrant population, many of whom have military experience, is also the main factor in the smooth annexation of the Tang Kingdom.

No one thought of it

In just over half a year, the originally powerful Confederate States of America passed away with the wind, and it became history, and the original territory was divided into five.

And this separatist tendency inevitably affected the North, and in New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other major cities, there were mass movements for separatism and independence, and they intensified.

Britain was the main promoter of this separatist ideology in secret, but on the northern issue, the Tang Empire showed a cautious and uncooperative attitude, and took a clear stand against separatism.

The garrison of the Tang Empire, in coordination with the effective measures taken by Zhang Zongliang, the Chinese president of the United States of America, dispatched military and police to severely suppress the separatist elements that broke out in major cities, and forcefully suppressed this separatist trend.

This made the British angry, but they were helpless.

Compared with violent institutions such as the military and police, Britain in the United States of America reflects more of the influence of soft power, such as political and civil influence, and lacks strong means.

Britain's idea is very clear, that is, to eliminate the military control of the Tang Empire over the United States through division, military occupation, and cultivate a pro-British regime, which is conducive to stirring up trouble in North America.

It is not enough to have only one Carolina Republic in the south, and it is difficult to compete with the powerful Tang Empire in terms of size and strength.

It is best to have one or two more allies in the north to echo, coupled with the strong support of Canada and Britain behind it, which can greatly involve the energy of Datang and achieve the strategic goal of the balance of power in North America.

It is an indisputable fact that the Tang Empire has a large number of garrisons in the country of rice (note, the regime in the south of the country no longer exists, and the country of rice refers specifically to the north, and will not be repeated in the future), which has deep penetration in various fields and has a very heavy right to speak.

The imperial capital is Chang'an

"The empire wants the north to split, but not now." Emperor Richard explained the essence of his policy toward the United States in one sentence.

The division of the south was a win-win for the Tang and the British, and the Tang Empire held four of the five countries that were split, with the Kingdom of Kentucky and the Kingdom of Oklahoma annexed to the Empire, causing the empire's territory to increase slightly by 286,000 square kilometers.

From the original 19.33 million square kilometers to 1,962 square kilometers, there is a small benefit.

The Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida are both countries where the Chinese diaspora dominates the discourse, and the next step is to increase the intensity of Chinese immigration, mainly the more loyal veterans of the empire, who will be completely included in the Tang Dynasty's sphere of influence.

A thousand birds are in the forest, it is better to have a bird in hand.

This is the admonition of the famous philosopher Socrates to his students, and the actions of the Empire, together with the British, to exert pressure on the South, which led to its complete division, can also be said to be the practice of this theory.

Rather than maintain a superficial alliance of alienation from Germany, it is determined to break the situation and completely bring the two divided countries into its own pocket, and the other two republics into eternal friendships.

As long as the Chinese population dominates, the Republic of Mississippi and the Republic of Florida are the two loyal little brothers of the Tang Empire, just like Uruguay and Paraguay in South America.

If the Carolina Republic does not know each other, the Tang Empire has 100 means to manipulate its desire to die, and its geographical location has determined that it cannot escape the fate of being at the mercy of others, but it is still unwilling.

The situation in the United States is different from that in the South, "the Empire wants the North to split, but not now", this sentence of Emperor Richard expresses the essence of the problem.

Now, in the second year of the term of President Zhang Zongliang of the United States of America, the number of white immigrants flowing into the country has plummeted since the implementation of the Anti-Italian Act.

The wave of white immigrants to North America, which used to average 800,000 to 1 million a year, has plummeted to less than 500,000 due to this impact.

Among them, 6 percent flowed into the United States, 3 percent flowed into the Tang Empire, and 1 percent flowed into the five southern countries.

In other words, the United States accepts about 300,000 white immigrants every year, mainly Germans and Irish, as well as white immigrants from the Austrian Empire, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and other countries.

Taking advantage of this favorable opportunity, the Tang Empire further increased the export of immigrants to the United States, and most of the local garrison of about 5~60,000 retired soldiers stayed in the United States every year, which was the backbone of immigrants.

In addition, through the guidance of the government over the past year or so, nearly 300,000 Chinese immigrants have entered, making the proportion of the Chinese population increase significantly for the first time, an increase of about 0.1 percentage point.

When these Chinese immigrants start a family and have children, this 0.1 percentage point will become 0.2 or even 0.3 or more.

If you take into account the concentration of Chinese immigrants, especially in large cities such as New York and Pittsburgh, the increase in population proportion is even more pronounced.

It's just a one-year change, what if it's ten years or more?

Not to mention anything else, at least Chinese President Zhang Zongliang cannot move during his four-year term, and time is in favor of the empire.

According to the provisions of the North American Post-War Treaty signed in 1862, the United States of America (North) will pay off the war reparations totaling 500 million Tang dollars within 25 years, with an annual interest rate of 5.5%, pledged by customs revenue.

During the 25-year mortgage period, the customs of the United States of America (North) will be entrusted to the International Customs Commission jointly composed of the Tang Empire, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France, and the Northern government will not intervene without justification.

The liability of the United States will end in 1887, and until then it has been paid on an annual basis, which means that there are still eight years to go, after fulfilling the post-war economic liability.

The International Customs Commission will unconditionally hand over the right of customs control, which is one of the symbolic events of the recovery of national sovereignty by the United States, and is of considerable significance.

At the same time, this means that the Tang Empire's control over the United States has been weakened, leaving it with a slight gap for struggle, which is an issue that must be paid attention to.

After fulfilling its post-war compensation liability, the United States has the right to demand that the Tang Empire withdraw its garrisons, which is a right given to the United States by international treaties, and it is completely justified.

After the Franco-Prussian War

It took France only two years to raise a huge war reparations of 5 billion francs, and Germany had to withdraw its troops under international pressure.

The Tang Empire will also face the same problem, but there is a point in this.

That is, during the civil war, the United States borrowed a lot from the world, borrowing a total of 1.375 billion Tang Yuan (including loans of the same value in pounds, francs, and marks) from international finance, and formed an "international creditor's committee" after the war to renegotiate the installment of debts.

This is a problem that France does not encounter.

The post-war financial order of the United States completely collapsed, and in the post-war financial order reorganization led by the Tang Empire, the United States was allowed to issue a new version of the dollar that was exchanged for Tang Yuan at a ratio of 1:1, which was called the "new dollar".

The new dollar is not a banknote like the Hong Kong dollar, but only a Tang Yuan exchange coupon, relying on the credibility of the Tang Empire to support the value of the currency, without the credibility of the Tang Empire, it will collapse in minutes.

After the issuance of the new dollar, the exchange rate of the old dollar was as high as 2,200; 1, the soldiers of the Tang Empire stationed in the United States are all rich people, and a second lieutenant officer can buy a comfortable 4-bedroom house in a building in Manhattan, New York with a month's salary.

The total amount of huge war loans as high as 1.375 billion, a small part of which has an interest rate of up to 13% or even 15%, and the general interest rate is also above 8%~9%, it can be said that the government of the United States at that time was completely crazy in order to win the war.

With such a large sum of money, it is certainly unrealistic to want to maintain such a high interest rate to repay.

After the war, in order to reduce debt, the US government was forced to sell part of the world's largest Alabachel coalfield, Manhattan Island, New York Port Authority, the century-old Port of Philadelphia and a series of high-quality assets, almost all over the major cities in the United States.

At that time, the United States was beaten to a pulp, and most of the international borrowers did not dare to touch these assets for fear of losing their money.

Therefore, these assets were packaged and purchased by the imperial family's subordinate funds, and the proceeds were used to repay high-interest loans first, so that the total debt of the United States barely fell to less than 1 billion, specifically 985 million Tang Yuan.

After two and a half years of difficult negotiations, the International Creditors Committee and the Financial Restructuring Working Group led by the Tang Empire finally reached an agreement.

The 985 million Tang Yuan debt was repaid by the main body of the Milican government, guaranteed by the "International Customs Commission" dominated by the Tang Empire, and the agreed repayment interest was 5.6% and the repayment period was 49 years.

This heavy international debt is a huge burden on the government of the United States, and it is impossible to repay it with its weak government revenues and expenditures, so it can only borrow new debts to repay old debts and borrow short-term debts to repay long-term debts.

The government of the United States has been mired in the swamp of international debt for a long time, and after years of evolution, it owes more than 360 million Tang yuan in huge loans to major financial institutions in the Tang Empire, as well as a bunch of bad debts owed to the British, French, and Germans.

In the years when inflation was unknown, the value of the Tang Yuan was extremely strong in its peg to gold, and it was expected that by the end of this century, the United States would be able to repay one-third of this international debt.

If the International Customs Commission headed by the Tang Empire loses its authority and withdraws its troops in the United States, what will happen to the international debt? Who will guarantee the repayment?

If the country is divided, who will bear this international debt? What is the proportion of each of them? These are unavoidable realities.

Britain is not a major creditor, and of course it doesn't care if it's stirring up trouble in North America.

Datang and France are the main creditor countries, especially the French loan sharks, who account for almost seventy percent of the total creditor's rights, and will never allow the United States to fall like this.

If that's the case

It is equivalent to France having endured another huge compensation for the Franco-Prussian War, and no matter how thick the family background is, it can't withstand such a toss.

Therefore, Tang and France have the same interests on this issue and have the basis for in-depth cooperation.

The French government has made a public statement;

Unconditionally fully support the Tang Empire's policy of maintaining the overall situation of peace in North America, support the long-term garrison of the Tang Empire, and oppose the transfer of customs rights after the 25-year war debt is settled.

The starting point of all this is to consider the interests of France.

As long as the Tang Empire still controls the economic lifeline of the country and still retains a heavy garrison, the French loan sharks will be able to receive a steady stream of loan principal and interest, and enjoy the profits.

This is at stake in the vital interests of millions of rentier strata in France, and how can France not support it?

(End of chapter)