Chapter 573: The American Empire Cannot Stand a Fight (First Update, Please Subscribe)

Tremor!

The earth is shaking!

Everything between heaven and earth was shaking violently!

Is it an earthquake?

Deafening explosions continued to sound.

What does this smell like?

The air was filled with a suffocating smell of gunpowder, mixed with the stench of burning corpses.

The smells constantly stimulated his breathing.

In the city, people were fleeing, children who had lost their parents were sitting on the ground crying, mothers who had lost their children were wandering the streets like ghosts, and then they were blown into the air with the whistling sound of bombs.

Even the hell described by Dante is probably just like this.

What appeared before his eyes was a hell, a burning hell.

This hell is not only burning, but it is collapsing!

Everything within sight was razed to the ground!

There were flames and collapsed wreckage everywhere!

ruins.

What appeared before his eyes was the remains of a huge building. From the Romanesque dome that was broken into two sections and had been smoked to a charcoal color, one could see how magnificent it once was.

That's the Capitol!

It was George Washington who laid the foundation for the Capitol! Now the Capitol has become a ruin, and the white stone pillars have turned black.

There were bodies everywhere around the Capitol, especially darker ones.

…

When he woke up from the nightmare, McClellan felt cold sweat all over his back!

This is a nightmare, but this nightmare is real!

"Now everyone is shouting for revenge. In Congress, members of both the Senate and the House are shouting angrily for revenge and for declaring war. But what happens after the declaration of war?"

Closing his eyes, McClellan's heart was filled with fear, and he seemed to see the scene in his nightmare again.

That day, "Goal - Versailles" left an indelible impression on his heart, but what was even more fatal?

It was the Ming Empire that bombarded Los Angeles!

Thousands of people were killed or injured!

Not only did they bombard Los Angeles, but they also arrested hundreds of American citizens!

"America has never been so insulted!"

"Not only have they destroyed our cities and killed our people, they have also trampled on our dignity!"

It hurts so much to be hit on the face!

If there hadn’t been that movie, if there hadn’t been the destruction of Versailles, if there hadn’t been airships…

McClellan would surely go to Congress and give a passionate speech and declare war, but what about now?

What now?

Declare war?

And then wait for Washington and New York to be destroyed?

In fact, he knew it very well in his heart. Even if there was no movie or airship, McClellan knew that the United States was no match for the Ming Empire.

He said he understood, and even those members of Congress knew this fact very clearly. Even if the United States declared war on the Ming Empire at all costs, what would happen then?

It is very likely that the scene in the movie will happen. Not very likely, but definitely will happen.

Everyone is very clear about this. Even if they keep talking about mobilizing the militia, then what?

Are we going to let those militiamen swim to the Ming Empire in South America?

As for occupying the Ming Empire's land in North America, don't even think about it. Once they really occupy British Columbia, the Ming Empire will definitely send their navy to bombard New York, bombard any coastal city, and destroy every American merchant ship.

The saddest thing about all this is that the United States has no power to fight back and can only watch helplessly as it is beaten.

"Mr. President, Minister Schofield is here!"

When the Secretary of War walked in, McClellan immediately and enthusiastically invited him to sit down.

"John, what's going on now?"

"Mr. President, I have ordered General Grant to lead 30,000 troops into the West via the railroad. As long as Congress agrees, they can attack British Columbia at any time and seize all the land, including Alaska. They have less than 3,000 troops there!"

As the Secretary of War, Schofield reacted extremely quickly. After learning about the Ming Empire's bombardment, he responded immediately.

In fact, his reaction was just that, just to let those politicians see that the army was indeed taking action.

"Mr. President, please rest assured that we are confident that we can defeat them on land!"

On land?

McClellan asked, sensitively aware of the subtext of his words.

"What about the sea? Can we stop their fleet at sea?"

"Mr. President, our navy now has only 52 warships, and they are all wooden ships, while they have the most powerful ironclad fleet in the entire American continent! Mr. President, a few years ago, I said that unless the United States is willing to become a third-rate country, we must build a powerful armored fleet, but most people believe that the United States is safe and does not need a large fleet at all. But what about now?"

In response to the president's question, Minister Schofield spoke in an indignant tone.

"Now the Ming Empire's ironclad ships are bombarding our cities and killing our people. They have even set foot on our land, but we can only watch all this happen. We can send out a fleet, but the result will be disastrous. As the Minister of War, I do not agree to send out a fleet. This is simply sending them to their deaths!"

The reason why he was so dissatisfied was that as early as the end of the war, he had repeatedly warned Congress against large-scale cuts in the navy, but his warnings were ignored. Now, the other party’s fleet has come to slap him in the face, but what about the United States?

The United States can only stick out its face and let others hit it, because it has no way to fight back! So now all the United States can do is stick out its face and let others hit it.

"Now, even if their fleet comes to the waters off New York, they can bombard our city at will. Our artillery uses old Rodman cannons, and our fleet is made of wooden warships. Compared with them, our navy is stuck in the last century, Mr. President."

The Secretary of War's complaints made McClellan a little helpless.

On the one hand, members of Congress are clamoring for revenge, while on the other hand, there is the reality that the U.S. national defense is not up to par.

what to do?

"If we declare war, can we defeat the Ming Empire?"

McClellan asked, looking at his Secretary of War again.

"Mr. President, our army can occupy British Columbia at the beginning of the war, and then we can only leave it to God! Maybe we will win in the end, but what is certain is that at the beginning of the war, our coastal cities will definitely be destroyed by their naval guns. Of course, they also have airships. By then, the price we pay will definitely be extremely heavy."

As a soldier, Schofield is very aware of America's own strength. Now the US military strength is simply ridiculous.

"So, war doesn't seem to be the best option!"

The answer was obvious, McClellan thought about it, then sighed helplessly.

"But now the people are angry..."

McClellan said, pacing around the office.

"Before this, on the East Coast, people's dissatisfaction was directed at the massacre of Chinese people by Los Angeles residents, but now their anger is due to the atrocities of the Ming Empire Navy. If we do not declare war, it will inevitably cause a new round of political crisis."

McClellan's tone was full of helplessness. This was his second term. He had once ended the Civil War at the cost of division. Now, facing the bombardment of the Ming Empire, he seemed extremely confused.

It's a declaration of war.

Or just endure it all in silence?

No matter what choice is made, there is a price to pay for it, and some prices are absolutely unbearable for a country.

What now?

Is it really like now, that we are just sticking our heads out to let the Ming Empire beat us to our heart's content?

McClellan fell into silence...

(End of this chapter)