"So how much are we worth?" John Fremont was curious about how much money the other party would use to induce him to surrender.

"I don't know, the slave trade is forbidden in my country. It is not like in your country that free people can be sold into slavery. Ashton looked innocent.

"Oh! Damn it! I don't want to be a slave. I'm asking you how much money you want to make us surrender! John Fremont said angrily.

"Dear Mr. Fremont, I'm here to talk about business, I just want this fleet, and I'll pay five million dollars."

"Get out!" John Fremont was annoyed.

Eventually, Ashton was driven back to the ship, but there was an uneasy atmosphere in the American barracks. Not just because of the mysterious letter, but also because of what Ashton said before leaving.

"The man who can hand over this fleet to me is five million dollars!"

John Fremont wanted to kill the damned Jew in front of him, but he chose to remain a gentleman.

After all, the two countries will not only fight each other, but this will not only affect his personal honor, but will also have an adverse international impact on the United States.

Looking at the worried faces of his officers, he knew that the letter was the cause, but he could not make the contents of the letter public, which would cause even more disturbance.

At this time, John Fremont could only send someone to break away from the group first, and then pretend to be a herald and read the battle report he wrote to his subordinates.

This was the only way to counteract the effect of the letter, and in order to prevent anyone from continuing to think about it, John Fremont directly asked for a brazier to burn the letter in public.

"Mr. Fremont, why did you burn it?" A reckless officer asked.

"Because it's a trick of the Austrians." John Fremont said bluntly.

"What's written on that?" Finally, someone couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing! Child, I want you to believe that mighty America is invincible, that her destiny is to rule North America, and that no enemy can stop her! ”

John Fremont's words received a strong response.

"Long live America!"

However, the captains of the fleet talked privately about the mysterious letter and the question of five million dollars.

Ever since the Austrian envoys arrived, John Fremont ordered him to camp in place and not to attack on his own, claiming that news would soon come from home.

John Fremont's practice of not having three hundred taels of silver here could deceive ordinary soldiers, but it was an even more disturbing move for senior officers.

In fact, John Fremont was also uneasy because he had not received news from China for a long time.

But theoretically, the United States has been fully prepared for this war, and the Mexicans are completely scattered from top to bottom, fighting on their own, and even fighting each other, and the United States seems to have no reason to lose.

But Robert Stockton's defeat in the village of Escondido cast another shadow over his self-confidence.

In fact, the communication interruption was of course caused by Franz, because the infrastructure in South America was very poor in this era, and the ports were even more scarce.

And if the U.S. military's communications want to bypass South America, it can't bypass the three-way zone of Ponta Arenas.

Of course, in addition to Ponta Arenas, several other important ports also ambushed men, but these people were only looking for fish that slipped through the net.

As for whether anyone will choose to bypass Ponta Arenas, the answer is no. Because it would have taken more than 1,300 nautical miles, it would have taken about four to five more days for most ships of this era.

Coupled with the technical constraints at the time, the risk of opening up new shipping routes was extremely high. And the Americans do not know that a neutral zone will become their grave.

Ponta Arenas was originally a penal colony for criminals, so the people have always been strong. However, the local population is not very large, only a few hundred people, so the Austrians can easily become the masters of the area.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace

Franz and Friedrich were also reunited after a long absence, but the latter's brow was about to twist into twists.

"What did you eat? Grow so fast! Taller than me! ”

Franz was speechless for a while, thinking that he was taller than Ling last year, but because of the presence of outsiders, he still saved face for the other party.

"Uncle Friedrich welcomes you to your triumphant return, who is this?" Franz looked at the beautiful woman snuggled up to Friedrich.

This look didn't matter, it startled Franz, he knew that the other party should be Princess Sneca, but this one looked a little

It's too European, with long soft blond hair, pale green eyes, and white skin, except for the facial features and face shape, which is completely inconsistent with the appearance of a black-skinned pretty woman in Franz's imagination.

But to be honest, Friedrich's vision is really good, this princess is much better than the princesses and nobles that Franz usually sees.

At this time, Princess Sneika was staring at Adjani behind Franz, who seemed to notice it, and took advantage of the fact that she was brushing her hair with her chin held high and gave an arrogant smile.

The eyes of the two almost collided with each other, and Kagura on the side was completely ignored.

Franz didn't call Talia over, because he didn't want to see anything happen to the Shura Field.

Friedrich was proud to see Franz's appearance.

"This is Princess Sneka, a member of the royal family of the Omani Empire."

Then Friedrich introduced Princess Sneika.

"This is Franz Joseph, the future Emperor of Austria."

Sneka was also surprised, as he had just met Ferdinand I with Friedrich. His Majesty the Emperor's head was as big as a bucket, his language was slurred, his eyes were glazed, and his drooling appearance made Sineka too impressed.

And the young man in front of him is handsome and handsome, with a straight posture, full muscles and gorgeous clothes, a natural temperament that makes people dare not look at it directly.

"Nice to meet you, Grand Duke Franz."

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Princess Sneca."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Franz and Friedrich took everyone away.

"Is the situation really that bad in Mexico?" Friedrich asked.

'It's really bad that Tasan Anna had a chance to come back and win. But the reversal came so quickly that we didn't have time to react.

Worse still, the French might do something, and that would be the worst way to unfold, because all of our plans would be nullified. ”

Franz was most worried about Louis Philippe, a spoiler who did not act in the interests of the whole like the British, but only cared about immediate interests.

And after the defeat of Veracruz, the Mexicans have clearly become the low-hanging fruit. Once France sends troops, Mexico will have no choice but to cede land and sue for peace.

This was mainly due to the fact that the population in New Mexico was so small that it was easy for the invaders to gain a foothold, and even Tasan Anna, desperately trying to fight a guerrilla war, had no mass base.

Defeat is only a matter of time.

(End of chapter)