Bobby Stark was glad he was able to sell the cursed potatoes, otherwise he would have been as troubled as his neighbors as he was about defaulting on his debts.

Because the bankers who lend money don't care about the effects of natural and man-made disasters, if you can't pay the liquidated damages, the house and land as collateral will no longer belong to you.

It is not uncommon for the United States to borrow money to farm the land today, and many farmers are in debt, after all, the price of land in the United States is relatively cheap, but the cost of its development is prohibitively expensive.

As Steven explains, in just a few months, potato late blight spread throughout Ohio.

All the potatoes, whether harvested or in the fields, were presented as lumps of soap-like sticky solids, and the stench filled the air and wafted into the surrounding fields.

At first, they only have a few irregular spots on their leaves, but it doesn't take long for the lesions to expand rapidly, leaving the whole plant water-stained, and then white mold or brown mold appearing.

Once the rainy season catches up, the onset rate will be even faster, and it can even destroy a large area of land in one or two days.

The fields are full of lucky farmers hoping to find potatoes that are not infected. But this was undoubtedly in vain, for the natural disaster came so suddenly and violently.

The weeping peasants did not draw mercy from above, only the ridicule of the surrounding farmers who planted other crops and the contempt of the bankers for the losers.

After all, if the potato harvest fails, other crops can be sold at a better price. In the eyes of the bankers, the peasants who have been hit by the sudden blow are just unsuccessful investment figures.

These timid and scared guys don't have the courage to take on failure, what a bunch of useless waste.

The tragedy in Ohio did not attract the attention of Washington, where the prevailing economic ideology was free trade and that the government should intervene less.

The local government report also understated the matter: "A large number of farmers have failed to invest, resulting in a large waste of land." ”

John Taylor was an efficient leader who could not accept the waste of American land by farmers.

Instead of providing relief, the U.S. government imposed fines on the affected farms for wasting God-given resources for cultivating worthless goods on land that should have been planted with crops.

Then there is the further decline in potato production in the United States, and at the same time changing the structure of its crop cultivation; As a result, potatoes are grown in less than half the area of France, less than a third of Austria, and just over a quarter of Germany.

For the United States, these bankrupt farmers are not completely useless. They can go to the factories or go to the Great West to develop new land.

For example, in Oregon at this time, the competition between Britain and the United States was fierce, and although Britain was strong, the United States had an advantage that the other side did not have - manpower.

Since 1842, when the Oregon Way became the main artery into the area, thousands of Americans have moved to the area.

The British, on the other hand, could not even assemble colonists who could effectively control the region, so they were effectively in a state of strategic contraction.

But even this could not escape the encroachment of the Americans, and John Taylor's plan was very successful.

However, it was not all smooth sailing, such as the Abynon massacre; Thirteen whites accidentally intruded into Indian territory and cut down their sacred trees, leading to serious clashes between the two sides.

In the end, all thirteen "warriors" were killed in the colony, and John Taylor immediately delivered a eulogy at the White House and vowed to take revenge on the barbaric Indians.

Between 1840~1860, about 360 immigrants died at the hands of Native Americans in Oregon. In 1830~1840 alone, the number of local Native Americans in Oregon decreased by 100,000.

Of course, the Americans have not given up their infiltration of California, but they have been defused by the newly appointed Austrian consul in the region in the most primitive and bloody way.

More than 3,000 Americans have been killed in California so far, but on the surface neither side acknowledges this fact.

Franz didn't approve of this approach, but it was undoubtedly effective and inexpensive. But this way of hanging red can be used by the Austrian side, by the American side, and even by the Mexicans.

Once the gates of hell are opened, it is difficult to close.

Of course, bringing in American immigrants to jointly develop California can also be considered, after all, turning enemies into friends is the wisest way in theory, and what California lacks most at this time is labor.

But the bloody experience and lessons of history tell us that this kind of behavior is tantamount to luring a wolf into the house, and it is not worth the risk.

At this time, although the North American continent was entrenched in four forces, the focus of the British had shifted to Asia, and their ambitions were not here, so it was still a three-way situation.

Theoretically, the French are the strongest, and neither the quality of the army nor the national strength can be compared with the other two countries. But after all, it is a continental European country, and it is constrained by Britain and other continental powers at every turn, and cannot play its full strength.

Although the United States is large and large, its organization is inefficient, and a single John Taylor is powerless. But even so, it is still the most potential and threat country in North America.

After all, in history, the United States slowly accumulated into a world hegemon after opening up the two oceans, but this life is not so easy.

Mexico has always thrived under Franz's special care, but as the saying goes.

"One general is incompetent and exhausts the three armies".

Tasan Anna and the top brass of Mexico City are not very eloquent figures, and they have just settled down and started to enjoy themselves without shame.

The collective treason of the elite class is nothing new in Mexico either.

These people can be bought by Austria, and France can be bought, and the United States and Britain can be co-ordinated.

It's just that the Tasan Anna faction in power is now friendly with the Austrian side, but this can't stop some warlords from coveting the California region.

As a result, there are always some people who are not self-conscious, and feel that they are the real owners of gold.

Although the Austrian Empire had just over 10,000 troops in California, it was still not comparable to the motley Mexican armies.

The battles are bloody and brutal, but at the same time absurd and tedious.

The Mexican army in the plains under the banner of the American army was attacked with unprecedented ferocity. The panicked soldiers habitually surrendered, but they were not treated like Mexicans, but invaders.

Prisoners of war were sent to the mines, wastelands where the most dangerous and arduous labor was carried out.

The consul, John Sina, felt that he was one step closer to the goal set by the Grand Duke Franz.

(End of chapter)