Chapter 738 Fourteen Points
"I agree very much with Colonel Douglas's judgment. This is definitely not about avoiding war." John Connor emphasized this point. "Under our witness, the 42nd Division showed great courage and restored peace in the Persian Gulf. As for the European battlefield, hasn't General Pershing already led a 2,000-man army there?"
At this stage, General Pershing's main task was not to deal with Germany. The first task of the 2,000 men he led was to show that the United States had fulfilled its commitment to join the war. Another major task was to discuss with Britain and France that the American Expeditionary Force should have the same status as the British and French Allied Forces and should not give up the command like the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the Algerian Army.
The United States of America must be on an equal footing with Britain and France, and until this issue is resolved, the American Expeditionary Force on the European battlefield will remain at its current size for a long time.
Therefore, the main destination of the American Expeditionary Force is still the Persian Gulf. As a result, a strange scene appeared in the Persian Gulf, with Americans facing Americans and the Confederate flag facing the United States flag.
"Now that the expeditionary force has reached the Persian Gulf, we can be even less cautious." After Douglas MacArthur left, John Connor and Brown said tacitly, "The Arabs in the Middle East who stand on the side of the British have always been reluctant to start a war, especially the rebels led by the eldest son of the Hashemite family who are right under our noses."
"Mobilize the guns to suppress them." Brown said without thinking, "Now is the time. If all else fails, you can give the credit to the 42nd Division. I think Douglas MacArthur will like it."
"Him!" Inside Sheffield's villa in New York, the slave owner had just finished listening to the introduction of the bodyguard leader and realized that it was an old acquaintance, Douglas MacArthur. Sheffield was only familiar with him from history books, but he had actually cooperated with his father Arthur MacArthur. When they were in the Philippines, the relationship between the two sides was pretty good.
After thinking for a while, he asked Jesla to call back, "We will do our best to help MacArthur establish merit on the battlefield. For a long time, this person may be needed to help with the business in Manila."
As for the resistance group of the Guardians of Mecca, Sheffield has never had any ill feelings towards them, but their extension of their hands to the Persian Gulf is another matter. It is unforgivable that they have to come to the Persian Gulf to cause trouble instead of occupying so many good places such as Hejaz and Syria.
Britain and France have discovered that the United States, which has just joined the war, is not as foolish as the Russian Empire. Compared with the attitude of European countries in fulfilling the covenant, these American bumpkins have been very disappointing from the beginning. Only 2,000 troops have arrived in Europe, and the rest are naval forces. More troops have arrived in the Persian Gulf, and they are staring at the so-called Allied forces, which are also composed of American citizens, along the occupation line that has long ceased fighting.
It neither helped the British troops in the Persian Gulf to regain an inch of land, nor did it bring any positive impact. On the contrary, as the American Expeditionary Force arrived in the Persian Gulf, this mercenary army began to turn its guns on the pro-British Arab national armed forces and started a suppression mode.
But at this time when the United States was particularly needed, Britain and France, especially the British, could only choose to turn a blind eye and ignore the Arab armed forces' calls for help.
This kind of silence is something that has been very unfamiliar to the British and French, especially the British, for the past three hundred years. Sheffield is well aware of this.
At the end of the year, Sheffield United Company began to settle accounts for the trade volume since the outbreak of the World War. The total of $3.2 billion in arms trade with the Allies showed how lucrative war was for arms dealers. As for the Allies, since the outbreak of the World War, the United Company and the Allies had a trade volume of $540 million.
This can be compared to the original World War I, with the main difference being in the Allied camp. The slave owner remembered that compared to the real history, and the trade with the Allies that was worth billions, the trade volume of $1.5 million clearly showed the United States's inclination towards the two camps. With the existence of the United Company, it was different, and the trade volume directly became $540 million.
The Sheffield United Company single-handedly solidified the United States' neutrality and made its claims of love and peace more genuine, not to mention its acquisitions of overseas German companies during the war.
Today, the United Company, which has consolidated its free trade position, is a full practitioner of the free trade concept.
As for the so-called usury, it has nothing to do with slave owners. We should ask how much money Citibank owned by the Rockefeller family and Morgan Bank owned by the Morgan family have lent out.
"I didn't feel anything at ordinary times, but once I calculated it, I was shocked. The profit margin is not high." Annie, who was on the phone with Sheffield for a long time, said suspiciously, "It seems that we have invested too much in the Persian Gulf."
"Don't count the 100 million." Sheffield consoled him, "Although it may seem like a barren land to many people, I believe my judgment is correct."
Arlington Manor in the New Year was more lively than in previous years. Sheffield returned with ladies of equal status to his wife, as well as fourteen children. It was very touching to see many descendants playing and fighting, and even the newlyweds William Rockefeller and Margaret Carnegie going there.
"Today, this place finally looks like a big family." Annabelle was very happy to see so many descendants gathered together. While taking a walk outside, she said to Sheffield, "What do you want to do with Harry's two daughters?"
"I don't have any ideas. I've rarely seen them." Sheffield frowned and said truthfully, "Even if they have any requests, as long as they are not too excessive, it is understandable based on blood relationship."
"Have you ever thought about killing them?" Annabelle glanced at the heir and said nonchalantly, "It's safer that way."
"Eh? Not really. They really pose no threat to me." Sheffield said with a wry smile. "I have many children now, including Alexander and Douglas in name. Even if something happens, the United Company will not fall into their hands. Grandma, why do you always think about things so extreme?"
"Because I'm not thinking too much, I've really done that." Annabelle said without joking, "Your grandfather originally had a brother, but he died later."
Sheffield didn't respond. He felt that with such an attitude, it would be a shame not to become a Sultan in the Ottoman Empire.
The arrival of the New Year did not delay the dirty work between the United States and Britain and France. In Paris, General Pershing was persisting in his fight for the American Expeditionary Force's right to act independently. The 100,000 expeditionary forces in the Persian Gulf were enjoying the rare coolness in the Persian Gulf region.
Sheffield was still discussing secret operations with Treasury Secretary McAdoo and Secretary of War Newton, Jr., thinking about how to include the expenses incurred by the mercenaries he had recruited into the war funds approved by the federal government.
The slave owners thought it was okay. Who were they fighting for? Wasn't it for the benefit of the United States? Wasn't the Confederacy a part of the United States? Since the United States could benefit from his persistence in the future and share the military expenses, what was wrong with that?
Although it may not be so easy to operate the 250,000-man Eighth Army as the US Army, which currently has a total of 260,000, it is still a matter of manpower. Isn't it currently a large-scale conscription? After the conscription is completed, at least millions of people will join the army, so it is not difficult to work on the numbers.
As for the number of soldiers participating in the war, based on the principle of letting the Yankees die first, Sheffield told the Secretary of War that the country's main population was concentrated in the north, and the south was mainly an agricultural area. The vast farmland needed labor, and the mobilization rate might not be ideal.
This is indeed the case. Every country has this characteristic. Although France's mobilization rate in World War I exceeded that of Germany in terms of industrial scale, France was fighting on its own soil. During the Civil War, the mobilization rate of the Confederacy was also high, also because the battlefield was in its hometown.
But sending an expeditionary force is completely different. The soldiers of the United States must be mainly northerners. The blame lies with the fact that the Democratic Party is in power now. The Yankees must make sacrifices for this.
Newton Jr. also agreed with the conclusion that the mobilization rate of the agricultural population was not high, and concentrated the conscription mainly in the Great Lakes region.
"Little Newton will realize sooner or later that this is the right decision." The slave owner who achieved his goal gave an accurate comment.
When the World War I veterans marched in rebellion, who would suppress them with machine guns? Wouldn't it be us Dixie people with strong martial virtues?
Just after the New Year, President Wilson released the Fourteen Points Peace Plan in the White House. The basic theory guiding the United States' foreign intervention in the future was officially released. There were two main points related to other belligerent countries. The second point was that the United States believed that as long as it was on the high seas, the United States had complete freedom of navigation here, regardless of whether it was wartime or not. The fifth point was that the ownership of each colony should respect the opinions of the local people.
These two points were not only aimed at the defeated Germany, but also at the victorious countries such as Britain and France, because Britain and France had a large number of colonies overseas.
The United States wanted to replace Britain as the world's strongest maritime power, and to divide up the overseas colonies of Germany, Britain, and France. As for the Soviet Union, which had just replaced the Russian Empire, the United States said that it expected the Soviet Union to develop in a free direction. To put it bluntly, the United States wanted the Soviet Union to change its color. At the same time, the United States believed that the small Eastern European countries controlled by the Russian Empire also had the right to develop in a free way.
The New York Daily News said that this was the fairest principle the United States could think of for world peace. Compared with the praise in the United States, Britain and France were silent.
"Mr. President is still a little optimistic. Unless we go to war with Britain and France immediately after Germany surrenders, the two countries will not agree." Sheffield said helplessly in front of Alice Roosevelt, "It's a good thing, but our military strength is not enough to achieve it."
(End of this chapter)
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