North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 253 The Most Vicious Scheme

"Li, I must rely on your strength to stabilize the situation in the entire west."

President Lincoln's face was grim: "Only in this way can I deal with those Southerners without restraint!"

Facing Lincoln's intense gaze, Azu pondered and said, "Mr. President, you should know that the power of California is actually quite limited!"

"Aside from the National Guard troops who must remain to stabilize the situation in California, I can only send a maximum of about 15,000 troops!"

"Just like the Panama War, this is the limit that California can withstand!"

"But for such a vast western region, a mere 15,000 people thrown in would at most create a negligible ripple, and would be completely insufficient to stabilize the situation in the entire west."

Azu continued, "Furthermore, as the governor of California, it would be against the law for me to interfere in the affairs of other states!"

Lincoln waved his hand: "I have said that as President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the United States, I have the authority to give you full authorization."

Lincoln, who had come prepared, went straight to the point: "Lee, I intend to appoint you as Commander of the Western Command, and to command the Southwest and Northwest Commands of the United States Army, as well as the Pacific Fleet!"

"Including the militias and National Guard of each state, all will be under your command!"

"Of course, this position is temporary. Once the chaos in the west is basically over, the commander of this extremely powerful Western Command will automatically step down."

This surprised even Ah Zu.

He had expected Lincoln to send him to stabilize the situation in the West, but he never imagined that the president would trust him so much!

Azu anticipated that Lincoln would send him to other states to help deal with the Native Americans and stabilize the situation.

In this way, he would have the opportunity and excuse to interfere in the affairs of other states and pave the way for future plans.

However, Azu never expected that he would be directly appointed as the commander of the Western Command... which means that Lincoln handed over half of the United States to him!
Commander of the Army Southwest and Northwest Commands, the Pacific Fleet, and the militias and National Guards of each state...!
Every American soldier west of the Mississippi River must obey his command!

Although the West was far inferior to the East at that time.

The total population of the entire western region is at most two or three million, while the population of the entire eastern region has far exceeded twenty million.

The East accounts for more than 90 percent of the total population of the United States, while the West accounts for less than 10 percent.

……

So, it may seem that Lincoln handed over half of America to Azuma. But in reality, this shrewd president still held absolute advantage and power.

Having figured this out, Azu pondered for a long time before asking, "Mr. President, are you sure you want to do this?"

Lincoln nodded calmly: "Lee, in the entire West, you are undoubtedly the person I trust the most, and also the strongest!"

"At the same time, your methods towards the Native Americans are extremely skillful. You have used a variety of methods, including suppression, bribery, appeasement, division, and education, and have achieved excellent results. The Native Americans in California have been brought under your thumb in a short period of time!"

"Therefore, I can't think of anyone else besides you who could quell the Indian rebellion throughout the West."

"This extremely important burden, Li, you must help me shoulder it...!"

After pondering for a long time, Azu finally nodded slightly: "In that case, Mr. President... I can only say thank you for your trust. I will do my best to quell the situation in the West as soon as possible."

"Hahaha!" President Lincoln breathed a long sigh of relief, patted Azu heavily on the shoulder, and laughed heartily, "Lee, I knew it! You are a friend I can always trust!"

"If I hand over the western mission to you, I can return to Washington with peace of mind and focus all my energy on dealing with those Southerners."

Azu then changed the subject, saying, "Mr. President, while stabilizing the situation in the West, I will also do my best to help you garner votes."

"There is virtually no slavery problem in the West, so you have a very good chance of winning all the electoral votes in the West."

“But that’s not enough!” Azu continued, “After all, those Southerners also have a lot of votes!”

"If all the Southerners are against you... Mr. President, are you still confident of winning the November election?"

Lincoln's smile vanished quickly, and his expression turned grave: "The current election situation is indeed very unfavorable for me."

"Our Republican Party has been independent from the Whig Party for over a year. Although the Whig Party has lost much of its strength, it still retains a certain degree of influence." "It is foreseeable that the Whig Party will take away some of our votes in the November election."

"And the entire South... well, you could say they've almost all turned against us. At least the vast majority of votes will go to the Democrats, to Franklin Pierce...!"

"Alas...!" Lincoln sighed softly, "Although our Republican Party is developing strongly, it is ultimately too short a history and lacks sufficient foundation!"

"A little over a year is simply not enough time for us to establish sufficient prestige and build a sufficient voter base...!"

Azu raised an eyebrow slightly: "Mr. President, from what you're saying, you're not entirely confident about the future election?"

Lincoln nodded, readily admitting, "According to our analysis within the Republican Party, my chances of winning against Franklin Pierce are no more than 40%!"

"Even this 40% is the most optimistic estimate. The final result... we may not even get 30% of the votes."

"So, I've come here this time to ask for your opinion!"

Lincoln said in a deep voice, "After all, it was you who put me on the presidential throne, and it was you who promoted the establishment of the Republican Party!"

“Li, although you are not in Washington, you are our backbone! At critical moments, we need you to step up and make decisions.”

Hearing this, Azu picked up his wine glass, stared at the beautiful amber-colored wine for a long time, and then said, "Mr. President, under such unfavorable circumstances, we have no choice but to take a risky approach!"

"A risky move?" Lincoln frowned. "Lee, you mean...?"

Azu said in a deep voice, "Mr. President, didn't that Democratic presidential candidate accuse you of having black slave blood and being a descendant of slaves?"

"Yes!" The anger in Lincoln's eyes flashed briefly.

Although Lincoln proclaimed himself the liberator of slaves, this does not mean that he was willing to be openly slandered like this! Nor does it mean that Lincoln could remain indifferent and accept the slander that he had ancestry as a slave!
Even Lincoln was ashamed of his Black heritage!
Azu's deep voice remained unchanged: "So, many southern states, in order to protest against you, this so-called 'descendant of black slaves,' are already preparing to secede and form a so-called confederation?"

“Indeed!” Lincoln nodded emphatically: “Similar sentiments have emerged in Southern states such as Virginia, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and more…!”

"Moreover, this trend is becoming increasingly obvious and intense... If they are allowed to continue like this, these southern states may really be heading towards independence...!"

Lincoln's tone was heavy, but his gaze was resolute: "I am doing everything I can to prevent this from happening... and I will do whatever it takes to do it!"

“No…!” Azu shook his head and said, “Mr. President, you shouldn’t stop their independence!!!”

"What...?" Upon hearing this, Lincoln could hardly believe his ears and exclaimed in utter shock, "Li, what did you say? Please say it again?!"

“I said…you shouldn’t stop these southern states from going to independence…!” Azu repeated calmly.

"Why...?" Lincoln still couldn't believe that his staunchest ally and most trusted friend could say such a thing!

"Bang!!" Lincoln slammed his crystal glass down on the table again. "Li, tell me why? It's unbelievable! Have you lost your mind? How could I hear such nonsense coming from you?!"

Azu shook his head slightly: "Mr. President, I am not talking nonsense!"

"If you want to win the crucial November election, you should condone, or even secretly encourage and pressure the Southern states to move towards independence as soon as possible...!"

"Why...why is this?" Lincoln was extremely surprised, staring intently into Azu's eyes.

Azu calmly continued, "Mr. President, please tell me, if the Southern states declare independence, will they still be able to participate in the US presidential election? Will their votes still count...?!"

Upon hearing this, Lincoln felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt, and froze on the spot!
"This...this...glug!!!" President Lincoln swallowed hard.

At that moment, he felt his heart pounding, his blood rushing through his body, and the veins on his forehead throbbing wildly...!
Lincoln's serious and unpleasant face instantly turned bright red. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Lincoln, who was known for his eloquence and steely resolve, was like a baby learning to speak, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.

Azu's calm voice continued, "Mr. President, since the Democratic presidential candidate has won the vast majority of votes in the Southern states, the solution is quite simple... that is, to invalidate all the votes from the Southern states!"

"In that case, Mr. President, is there any suspense left about your election as the next president?"

"And the best way to nullify the votes of the Southern states... hehe, of course, is for them to voluntarily choose independence and cease to be a member of the United States!!!"

(End of this chapter)