New Han Dynasty 1834

Chapter 107 Only the Great Han is seriously preparing

Melbourne has submitted a formal resolution proposal to Parliament to use force against the Han Chinese.

They then pushed for a vote in the British Parliament, which ultimately rejected the proposal by a large margin.

McLaughlin traveled to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Anatacio Bustamante.

McLaughlin stated the parliament's stance in a very serious and even indignant manner: "I am very sorry, Mr. President, but our members of parliament, who love money and fear war, ultimately voted to reject the Prime Minister's proposal to use force against the Han Kingdom."

"However, the Prime Minister has also pledged to use all other available means to provide Mexico with all necessary support."

"Including but not limited to weapons, ammunition, and military supplies, to support Mexico in its fight against the expansion of the Han state in the Americas."

Although Bustamant was also a military man, he had spent several years visiting and studying in Europe and had a good understanding of the political systems of various European countries. After listening to the translation, he was quite melancholy: "It is really a pity that the gentlemen of London are unwilling to place the affairs of the American continent in a sufficiently important position."

"As for the Prime Minister's so-called 'all necessary support,' is it free or does it require payment?"

McLaughlin said tactfully and helplessly, "Britain's current financial situation is not optimistic, so it cannot provide free support directly to Mexico."

"But if it comes to a critical moment, when the outcome of the war can be decided, Britain can provide the necessary support unconditionally in order to secure the final victory."

Bustamant basically understood that this support meant spending money to purchase supplies on a regular basis.

When the time comes to deliver the final blow, if Mexico is just one step away from securing the kill, they will provide a batch of supplies free of charge so that Mexico can deliver the final strike.

This last line of defense is better than nothing, though; it's better than having no defense at all.

Bustamant continued, "Can your naval fleet continue to cooperate with Mexico in combat? For example, by flying the Mexican flag?"

McLaughlin immediately said, "I'm sorry, that won't work either. Parliament has already refused to use force."

"The question that Mr. President should be considering now is whether he can obtain support beyond direct military involvement."

""

Bustamant cursed inwardly, thinking how incredibly opportunistic the British were, still thinking about making money even at a time like this. He waved his hand dismissively, somewhat annoyed, and said, "I will seriously consider it. Your Excellency, please go and rest."

After watching McLaughlin leave, Bustamant felt physically and mentally exhausted, thinking that California was probably not going to be taken back.

Compared to Mexico, California is like an isolated island, and for a long time it was considered an island.

Mexico itself lacked sufficient navy and transport fleet to quickly transport troops to California for combat, while the British were unwilling to engage the Great Han in direct combat.

Although Mexico has a "Royal Inland Expressway" that runs almost from south to north through the core region of Mexico.

However, the northern end of this route, located in what later became New Mexico and western Texas, is still at least a thousand kilometers away from the bay where San Francisco, the heart of California, is situated, amidst mountains and plateaus.

This inland road was usually used for transporting silver produced in the mines and government documents to and from various places, and was not suitable for large-scale military transport.

Bustamant did have basic military common sense, knowing that sending the army on a land march of nearly three thousand kilometers and over mountains to attack California would have almost no chance of victory.

Bustamant felt that the only hope at present was that the United States could do something. At least the two sides had similar interests, and they should be willing to directly participate in the war.

However, Bustamante didn't feel much urgency, thinking that the Han should be satisfied with occupying California, and Mexico wasn't particularly concerned about California either.

If Mexico doesn't launch an offensive to try and retake California, war between the Han Chinese and Mexico is unlikely to break out again.

Of course, Bustamant would seriously consider the support that Britain offered.

Mexico does need sufficient military equipment and supplies to participate in various wars that may occur in the future, not necessarily wars against the Han and California.

The core area of ​​the United States is located on the east coast of the Americas, so Buchanan's report to the capital was delivered earlier than McLaughlin's report.

US President Van Buren and Secretary of State Forsyth were both furious after reading Van Buren's report.

Van Buren said emotionally, "The battle has already begun! The Han Chinese have attacked our army! This is already an act of war!"

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Forsyth immediately agreed, but then added, "Whether it's a direct attack on our troops or an attack on and occupation of California, it would constitute an act of war. But are they really without any scruples? What should we do now?"

Then the two fell into a brief silence. These Han people clearly had few concerns now, otherwise they wouldn't have done these things.

Britain and the United States have little influence on the west coast of the Americas, and Mexico has little influence in California as well.

Then the two of them couldn't help but swear a few times and discussed what to do next in the somber atmosphere.

"Purely speaking, we should use any means necessary to continue fighting against the Han Dynasty."

"To retake the Oregon region and seek justice for the two thousand soldiers, forcing the Great Han to withdraw from the Americas and apologize."

"However, the goal of quickly controlling the situation and preventing the Han from occupying the west coast has now failed."

"As for the long-term war to come, we need to take into account the future domestic situation."

"Fiscal revenue in 1837 decreased by almost half —"

"Now it seems we can only rely on Mexico; we can provide them with weapons, equipment, and supplies."

The United States had already made a decision about whether to use force against the Han Dynasty long ago.

When former US President Jackson received news that the Han had occupied Oregon, he immediately dispatched 2,000 troops on presidential orders.

They then immediately submitted a bill to parliament and held a voting ceremony, passing a resolution allowing the use of force against the Han.

Although no formal declaration of war has been made yet, there are no restrictions on the use of force.

However, the situation in the United States took a sharp turn for the worse after 1836.

As the country where the economic crisis directly erupted, the market collapse in the United States was more thorough than in Britain.

The key issue is that the halving of fiscal revenue has brought many institutions to a standstill. The government is almost unable to pay salaries and has no money left to continue waging war.

President Van Buren and Secretary of State Forsyth are both currently overwhelmed with domestic issues at Citibank.

Neither of them believes that now is a good time to launch any large-scale war.

Economic crises can indeed lead to war, but they do not usually trigger war directly when a crisis breaks out.

Because when a crisis breaks out, the situation collapses, making it impossible to concentrate resources to participate in the war.

Typically, after an economic crisis causes a market crash, the market falls to its lowest point amidst chaos and then calms down, entering a prolonged period of depression.

Politicians wage war to escape recession, while civilians and soldiers support war to change the status quo.

Neither the Opium War of 1840 nor the Mexican-American War of 1846 began directly during the economic crisis; they both erupted during the depression that followed the crisis.

The Great Depression of 1837 in the United States lasted for a long time.

It wasn't until the end of the Mexican-American War, and the discovery of gold in California, which sparked the Gold Rush and a new wave of westward expansion, that the country finally emerged from the depression.

This Great Depression also left a deep historical memory for Americans.

When the economic crisis first broke out, the country was at its most vulnerable and unable to undertake any major tasks.

Therefore, the Han Dynasty is now able to act with impunity in North America, not only completely ignoring the interests of the United States and Britain, but even preparing to directly conquer Mexico.

Mexico is hoping for support from Britain and the United States, while the United States and Britain are hoping that Mexico can recover.

Only the Great Han American Military Command is seriously preparing for war.

Liu Yulong's initial task for the American military was to first eliminate the harassment from Britain and the United States on the west coast of America, and then to attempt to seize the California region.

Finally, based on the situation, we will determine whether there is an opportunity to invade Mexican territory, occupy the Mexican capital, and seize Mexico's silver mining areas.

The final objective doesn't need to be carried out; the American military can simply complete the first two objectives and be done with it.

However, the Han army of this era had an exceptionally strong fighting spirit, and they would try their best to complete any arrangements that required them to "judge whether there was a chance."

After the fleets from Britain, the United States, and Mexico left the west coast, Li Anbang began preparations for an expedition to the Mexican mainland.

After all, it was a journey of 3,000 kilometers across the sea to a "major country" in the Americas. Li Anbang made relatively thorough preparations and waited for a sufficient amount of time.

First, a naval fleet was arranged to transport 1,000 Imperial Guards and 2,000 militiamen to the Maria Islands, 100 kilometers off the west coast of central Mexico.

Occupy these uninhabited islands and build simple ports, warehouses, and military camps as forward bases for the attack.

In April of the fourth year of the Hanchang era (1838), the first transport fleet of the new year arrived, bringing with it the families of 20,000 militiamen who had arrived in America the previous April, and 5,000 Imperial Guards.

In May, the grain harvest around Jiaozhou Bay, Wenjiatun Valley, and Meizhou Bay was bountiful, and the harvested grain was basically enough to meet the living needs of 60,000 people.

Li Anbang ordered that another thousand imperial guards and five thousand militiamen be transported, along with a batch of food and supplies, to the Maria Islands.

In September, the various development zones harvested another batch of autumn grain and began to store the grain needed for the following year.

In mid-October, the families of the 20,000 militiamen who had arrived in the Americas the previous October arrived, along with 5,000 Imperial Guards.

In the past three years, all the militia families in the Americas have been reunited.

Li Anbang ordered the passengers to disembark, but the supplies on board remained on board.

This year, 10,000 Imperial Guards will remain in Jiaozhou Bay and Meizhou Bay, while 40,000 militia will be responsible for planting in the fall and winter.

The remaining Imperial Guards who arrived in America last year boarded ships and set sail south under the escort of the Beiyang Fleet.

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