Chapter 204: Chaos on Pennsylvania Avenue (Second update, please subscribe)
Arms are just a commodity.
Smuggling is just a business.
Lincoln was helpless with such an answer.
He wanted to stop it, but he couldn't stop it at all!
It’s not that I don’t want to, but that I can’t!
In fact, who was the largest arms supplier during the Civil War?
Of course it was the British. The British not only sold nearly a million Enfield P1853s and other various artillery pieces to the warring North and South, but they even sold warships to the South!
However, Lincoln soon became pragmatic and stopped entangled with Zuo Zongtang on the arms issue. As a politician, he knew very well that such arms smuggling could not be stopped at all. Didn’t the British also promise not to export arms to the South?
But what if the buyer of the arms is French, Egyptian or Cuban?
The buyer can just change his identity and wait until the merchant ship leaves the port with weapons and then change the destination.
Even with the so-called official ban, arms still continued to flow into the South. The only thing to be thankful for was that the American company only manufactured some light weapons and exported some gunpowder and explosives.
Moreover, this company cannot be compared with those European countries at all. Countries like Britain and France are the real big sellers of smuggled weapons to the South.
The protests now are just a formality.
Since Lincoln became pragmatic, Zuo Zongtang also became extremely pragmatic. He then congratulated Lincoln on the victory of the federal army in Vicksburg.
In response to his congratulations, Lincoln nodded.
"The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson marked the federal government's success in opening up the entire Mississippi River. The father of rivers once again ran to the sea without worries."
Lincoln was all smiles as he spoke.
"Mr. Zuo, maybe by the time you return from Europe, the war will have ended. By then, with the end of the war, the United States will be unified again. You are welcome to visit the United States again. You can go to the South to take a look. I want you to understand the significance of this war from those black people who have gained freedom."
"Yes, Mr. President, I believe justice will prevail! And I personally look forward to visiting the South one day."
Who is on the righteous side?
A qualified politician can say this in Washington and, of course, in Richmond. In a word, politicians always speak the truth to people and lies to ghosts.
There is no need to tell the truth in front of foreigners.
Just as Lincoln was happily accepting Zuo Zongtang's blessing, the door of the Oval Office was knocked open again, and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton walked in nervously. He didn't even look at the outsider who was still in the office, and said in panic.
"Mr. President, Major General Meade's Army of the Potomac was defeated at Gettysburg. His army was surrounded and suffered heavy losses. Although General Meade led his army to break through the encirclement, Lee is now leading his Army of Virginia and marching towards Washington, Mr. President."
"What!"
Lincoln said in surprise as he stood up suddenly.
"Mead lost!"
"Yes, Mr. President, now from Gettysburg to Washington, no one can stop Lee's army!"
The Secretary of War's words made Lincoln stunned for several seconds, but he made a decision immediately.
"Immediately give an order to General Meade, ordering his army not to retreat even a step. He must stop the attack of the Confederate Army at all costs!"
He then ordered the Secretary of War to do everything possible to mobilize all available troops to defend Washington.
After a long while and several orders, Lincoln noticed that there was a guest in the office, so he apologized.
"Mr. Zuo, I'm so sorry, I have more important things to deal with now, let's see each other another day!"
"Of course, Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality."
Zuo Zongtang stood up to say goodbye, and as he left the Oval Office, he noticed chaos in the White House.
"Hamada, it seems we have accidentally witnessed a dramatic change!"
Hamada Hikozo, who had already naturalized as a Chinese citizen and had long since changed his name to Liu Hamada, nodded and said.
"Ah, who would have thought that the North, with tens of millions of people, would be beaten into this state by the South? General Robert Lee is truly a famous general of the time!"
"Who knows? However, if the lord knew this news, he would probably be disappointed. Once the Southern troops reach the gates of Washington, the war will most likely end. By then, our business will no longer be able to continue!"
When Zuo Zongtang was so regretful, he didn't know at all that compared to the money earned from smuggling arms, he hoped to see the defeat of the North and the division of the United States. After all, nothing is more important than a divided America.
“What a pity…”
When getting on the carriage, Zuo Zongtang looked towards the south and couldn't help but sigh. It was unclear whether he was regretting the end of the war or regretting not being able to meet Robert Lee.
When Zuo Zongtang left by car, Pennsylvania Avenue was already in chaos. Congressmen and senior government officials who learned the news packed up their belongings and prepared to leave the city, just like before the British occupied Washington. At this time, Washington was in chaos because of the approaching enemy.
Looking through the car window at the chaos on the streets, Zuo Zongtang actually had the illusion that he was witnessing the end of a dynasty, but it was just an illusion.
"You see, sir, the politicians in Washington are either fleeing or preparing to flee. Perhaps the Southerners have truly won the war."
Zuo Zongtang shook his head at Liu Bintian's judgment.
"The South can't win!"
"What? Sir, they are almost reaching Washington now!"
Liu Bintian said in surprise.
"Washington is just a city, Hamada. Do you remember the cities we visited in the past few months? Factories in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia? We can clearly see that all the factories in the United States are in the north. What does Washington have?"
Zuo Zongtang said, pointing at the carriage that was fleeing in panic outside the car window.
"They are just a bunch of good-for-nothings who only have a lot of money and a lot of money. Even if the Confederacy of the South occupies Washington, it won't make much sense. After all, there are not many factories and not many people here. Even if they lose Washington, as long as they have the guns made in the factories and the population serving as soldiers, they can still retake Washington. As for the South...what does the South have?"
It has to be said that after several months of investigation in the United States, Zuo Zongtang had already gained a certain understanding of this country, and of course, he also had a basic judgment on the outcome of the war.
"For the South, the best option right now is probably to use the advantage on the battlefield to force Lincoln to negotiate. However, Lincoln is also a decisive person. If I am not mistaken, he will probably refuse to negotiate!"
After traveling in the United States for several months, Zuo Zongtang did not think that the South had any chance of winning. After all, the South only had some cotton.
(End of this chapter)
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