North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 257 Prelude to the Great Battle

At the end of August 1852, President Abraham Lincoln concluded his westward journey and returned to Washington.

Surprisingly, the president, leading his Republican Party, immediately began drafting the Abolition Act and quickly submitted it to Congress, preparing to push for its passage and formal enactment as American law.

The news immediately caused an uproar among political forces representing the interests of the southern states.

For these Southerners, the attempt to pass the Abolition Act was like a dagger stuck in their hearts—the most deadly threat!

The whole of Washington quickly descended into chaos!

The conflict between the South and the North became fully public as the Republican Party forcefully pushed through the Abolition Act.

The chorus of insults and slander against President Lincoln and the Republican Party was deafening.

Even more extreme, many voices representing Southern interests openly threatened independence, demanding that the president and the Republican Party completely abandon the push for the Abolition Act.

But no matter how much the Southerners clamored for change, the president and the Republicans were determined to push forward the Abolition Act in an orderly and methodical manner, completely disregarding the overwhelming opposition from the outside world.

Soon, almost all the southern states could no longer sit still.

Whether openly or covertly, the southern states began to unite to declare independence.

Prior to this, independence was more of a threat, a means of political coercion.

But now, these Southern states are truly beginning to prepare to secede from the United States of America and form a Confederation of the South.

While pushing forward the Abolitionist Plan, President Lincoln also announced military expansion, increasing the army from approximately 100,000 men to at least three times its original size, reaching 300,000 men within a year.

President Lincoln then announced the issuance of $100 million in war bonds to fund military expansion and preparations for war.

Meanwhile, the southern states were not idle either. While preparing for independence, they also began to expand and train their militias and National Guard.

Southern states even began recalling officers and soldiers serving in the U.S. military.

Things have developed so rapidly that it has taken most people by surprise, leaving them speechless and completely baffled as to what this young president is trying to do!
Regardless of the protests and slanders from others, Lincoln was determined to completely abolish slavery and relentlessly pushed forward with his plan.

Suddenly, the political atmosphere in the United States became turbulent and unpredictable.

The situation is becoming increasingly tense, and perhaps just the slightest spark could send America completely out of control.

……

The political turmoil in the eastern United States had little impact on Azu and California.

While leading a group of engineers to tinker with steam-powered engineering machinery, Azu was also extending his reach to the vast western region.

Having been appointed by President Lincoln as the commander of the Western Command, Azu now has every right to mobilize all the troops, National Guard, and militia throughout the West.

However, instead of rushing to send troops to deal with the Native Americans, Azu strengthened military deployments in the border areas with Canada, including along the coastline.

According to Azu, this was to cut off British military support for the Native Americans.

Privately, Azu began to gradually reduce, and eventually completely cut off, the supply of weapons to the Native Americans.

Now that the objective has been achieved, if the Native Americans are allowed to continue causing trouble, it could even have a significant impact on our future plans.

Then, Azu broke up the Independent Cavalry Regiment into smaller units and mixed them with the cavalry of the Blackfoot tribe and other Native American tribes in California into several smaller squads.

These teams were all sent out to try and make contact with Native American tribes in other states.

For Native American tribes willing to cooperate, Azu would directly send them food and weapons to establish a closer relationship first.

Those stubborn Native American tribes that refused to cooperate were all blacklisted and became the primary targets of subsequent crackdowns.

……

Time flies, and more than two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

By early November 1852, the situation in the entire eastern United States had become extremely tense and on the verge of exploding.

When the Republicans formally submitted the draft of the Abolition Act to Congress for consideration, the situation immediately spiraled out of control.

Virginia, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama… almost all the Southern states declared independence on the very day the Abolition Act was formally submitted to Congress.

These eleven southern states, after formally secession from the United States, quickly formed a Confederation.

In the general election held at the end of November, these eleven southern states did not even participate!
With almost all the Southern states absent, Abraham Lincoln was elected the next President of the United States by an overwhelming margin, with virtually no suspense.

The Republican Party, led by Lincoln, also won a landslide victory in this election, becoming the majority party in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Having fully consolidated executive and legislative power, Lincoln personally pushed for the Abolition Act, which passed Congressional deliberation and voting. After being personally signed by him, it became law. Continuing as president, Abraham Lincoln did not rush to declare war on the Confederate States of America, but instead announced further military buildup.

This military expansion is on a larger scale, with the army's size expanding to 500,000.

Not only in the north, but also in the southern states, every spare moment was spent training their armies.

Southern officers who had served in the United States Army left the Union Army in response to the call of the Southern states and returned to their hometowns to become members of the Confederate Army.

Even Robert Lee, who had already joined the California National Guard, received a warm letter from the South inviting him to return.

Both sides are intensely expanding their military and preparing for war, but neither side is in a hurry to fire the first shot!
……

As 1852 drew to a close, on this day, Azu met a visitor who was both expected and unexpected.

This uninvited visitor turned out to be none other than Colonel Miles from the Army Logistics Department, who had a big beard!
However, Colonel Miles had changed into a blue Confederate Army uniform, and his rank... had even become that of a brigadier general with a gold star!

"Colonel Miles... no, General Miles... congratulations! It's only been a few months, and you've already been promoted to general!"

In his office, Azu received Miles again, beaming with joy, and said, "General Miles, congratulations!"

Miles, who had chosen to leave the Union Army and join the Confederate Army in his hometown, now had an irrepressible look of joy on his face.

Given his qualifications and background, it was not impossible for him to rise to the rank of general in the Northern Army, but his hopes were extremely slim.

Brigadier General Miles beamed with joy and said, "Governor, I never imagined I'd see you again so soon!"

"Let me introduce myself. I am now the Minister of Logistics and Quartermaster of the Confederate Army...!"

Azu raised an eyebrow, not expecting such an unexpected surprise!

If the Southern Army actually appointed such an acquaintance as the Minister of Logistics and Supplies, then even if they wanted to make a fortune from the war, it would be impossible for their arsenals to do so!

Brigadier General Miles continued, "Governor, it's fortunate that you didn't sell those powerful weapons to those Yankees last time."

"Otherwise, once war breaks out, those weapons and ammunition will become the tools for reaping the lives of our Southern Army soldiers!"

Azu smiled and said, "So General Miles's personal visit this time... could it also be for...?"

“That’s right!” Brigadier General Miles nodded vigorously before Azu could finish speaking, “I came here in person, of course, to purchase those weapons from the Huamei Armory!”

“Governor, you should know that compared to the North, the newly established Southern Army is still very immature and weak.”

"While we have no shortage of brave soldiers, experienced officers, and the determination to defend our country, we lack weapons, especially heavy weapons!"

"During this period, our Southern Army has recruited more than 100,000 soldiers, many of whom even brought their own weapons to join the army."

"Although we don't lack light weapons, our equipment is just too messy and too varied!"

"Therefore, if our Southern Army wants to improve its combat effectiveness, it must standardize its light weapons and acquire a large number of heavy weapons...!"

Brigadier General Miles looked at the young governor with hope and continued, "Governor, our South lacks an industrial base and does not have arsenals for large-scale production of standard weapons."

"And the entire United States, apart from your China Armory, is almost entirely in the hands of those Yankees."

"If we cannot purchase large quantities of military equipment from you, then we will have no choice but to import them from Europe at extremely high costs...!"

"Therefore, your Huamei Armory is our preferred source of arms and weapons in the South."

“Governor, if you agree, our Confederate States of America hopes to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you.”

After Brigadier General Miles finished speaking, Azu smiled and said, "Brigadier General, don't you know that President Lincoln and I are staunch allies and best friends?"

"Furthermore, California as a whole opposes slavery...!"

"Whether from a personal perspective or a political standpoint, I should not provide your Southern Army with even a single gun or bullet!"

"Hehe...!" Brigadier General Miles grinned: "Governor, you and I both know very well that those so-called political allies and friends are just driven by self-interest!"

"As long as there are enough benefits, allies, friends, and political stances are all worthless!"

Ah Zu smiled and said, "Brigadier General, what you're saying puts me in a difficult position!"

Brigadier General Miles didn't say anything, but silently took out a huge check from his briefcase and pushed it right in front of Azu's eyes.

Ah Zu glanced down at the amount on the check and was greatly surprised: "So much...?"

(End of this chapter)