Chapter 335: American Version of Hongmen Banquet
Chapter 325 The American Version of the Hongmen Banquet
On the first day of the outbreak of the Civil War, Fort Sumter fell. The fleets of the northern government transporting supplies were all just watching from afar lovingly.
The next day, President Lincoln ordered the enlistment of 75,000 state militia to serve for 90 days to suppress the Southern rebellion.
Apparently, the Northern government had not realized the seriousness of this civil war and thought they could easily suppress it as long as there was no intervention from the States.
The Southern government struck first and won a military victory, but lost the political advantage.
The northern states, which had been uncertain of their position, united in a short time, and under the influence of the capitalists who manipulated public opinion, one patriotic youth after another joined the army.
Stephen Douglas, the leader of the Democratic Party, who had originally favored the South, at this moment also stood on the side of the Northern government and denounced the Southern government for provoking the Civil War.
Openly declared to the public, “There are no neutrals in this civil war, either patriots or traitors.”
Almost every northern state was overcrowded with conscripts. Inadequate training, lack of weaponry, lack of discipline, and failure to find enough officers were common problems in the northern states.
But it didn’t matter, they were all cannon fodder anyway.
Looking at the armies gathered in all directions, the spirited President Lincoln was ready for victory.
The Secretary of War said angrily, “Mr. President, Maryland and Delaware have refused the recruiting order, and they have forbidden the entry of Federal troops.”
These two states were very interesting, partly in favor of the South and partly in favor of the North, and it was only by the stalemate that they remained in the Northern government.
Washington, in particular, was still within the siege of Maryland, and if this state fell to the Southern government, it might not be long before the Northern government became a prisoner.
President Lincoln asked, “How many more troops are needed in Washington Territory?”
The Secretary of War replied, “With the newly mobilized militia, we have a total of 30,000 soldiers at present.”
President Lincoln asked cautiously, “If the government were to settle Maryland by force, how sure are you?”
The Secretary of War replied, “Maryland is already mobilized, with about 30,000 armed in support of the Southern rebels and about 20,000 still loyal to the government.
On the whole, the forces favoring the rebellion have the advantage. With both sides holding each other back, Maryland has remained neutral.
Without reinforcements from the South joining us, our chances of victory are as high as nine.”
How is this possible without Southern reinforcements? Keep in mind that the Southern states had been preparing for war for a long time, and the Northern government’s preparations were just beginning.
The good thing is, in this day and age, transportation is limited and the United States is large enough that it will take a great deal of time to mobilize and rally.
Otherwise, if the southern government were to fight at the speed of a blitzkrieg, the northern government wouldn’t be able to pocket it. It was estimated that the central government would become a prisoner without waiting for them to finish mobilizing.
Once there was no leader, the war would be won or lost. As a country of immigrants, the patriotic fervor of Americans in this era lasts only a month or two at most.
The populace returns to sanity, and many will not be willing to continue to sell out. Historically, the Northern government had not been shy about forcibly enlisting soldiers in order to win this war.
After hesitating for a while, Lincoln made a surprising decision: “I will personally go to Maryland to do their ideological work, and you do a good job of preparing for military action.
As soon as diplomacy fails, you will unite with those who support us to take military action, and it must be done quickly.”
There was no choice, the state of Virginia next door to Maryland had already declared its independence. Once the war started in Maryland, the Confederate army next door came killing right away.
Don’t look at the Secretary of War’s vow to guarantee a nine-tiered chance of victory, but that was based on the enemy being isolated. With the support of the Confederate government army, President Lincoln didn’t think it could be won easily.
The military chances of victory are not great, then use his more skillful political tactics.
Secretary of State Safar reminded, “Mr. President, this is a time when you must preside over the big picture and it is not appropriate for you to leave Washington.”
President Lincoln shook his head and said, “But how can I solve this threat in Maryland without going there myself? As long as this threat is not solved, Washington is under the threat of the enemy.
Now Maryland is not independent, and as President of the Federal Government, they will not do anything to me.”
The political struggle in the United States was still relatively moderate, and even if he ran into the territory of the inclined South, he should not fear danger.
This has been proven historically, after the defeat of the Southern government, the top brass were almost never liquidated and remained rich and powerful.
The Secretary of State is not worried about the personal safety of the President, even if the President hangs up, there is still the Vice President on top, in any case, they are all the capitalists’ interests of the spokesman, and whoever is replaced is the same.
He is only worried about the president, running over to do ideological work, not only did not pull back the people who support the southern government, but also forced against the state of Maryland, then the government’s face lost.
Don’t look at the history books that speak highly of Lincoln, people didn’t recognize his abilities in this day and age. Especially in dealing with the South, he didn’t do a satisfactory job either.
Certainly satisfied the interests that supported him behind the scenes. Many capitalists thought the winning hand was in the air, and that by suppressing this rebellion, they would have access to cheap industrial raw materials and markets.
Essentially, the capitalists in the North wanted to turn the South into an economic colony, and that’s why the Southern states reacted so violently.
But this misunderstanding, naturally, there was no need to explain it clearly. Seeing through it and not saying anything is a basic quality of politicians.
……
On April 20, 1861, a week after the outbreak of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln hosted a banquet in Maryland for local socialites.
It naturally opened with a passionate speech, but with half the people applauding and the other half watching, it was a very awkward scene.
This little scene is naturally not scared of President Lincoln, watching is harmonious. When the speech, someone threw a banana peel to the stage thing, he has personally experienced.
This aspect of the American people is very open, see you upset is upset, will not give the president to save face.
Lincoln said as if nothing had happened, “Gentlemen, in order to avoid the Southern rebellion affecting the stability of Maryland, the federal government has decided to temporarily suspend the Habeas Corpus in some areas, and I hope that you can cooperate with the government.”
This is equivalent to military control in disguise, without Habeas Corpus the government’s rights have greatly increased, and the voice of these socialites will be greatly reduced.
With this Writ of Protection in place, even if they were to support the Southern government in a righteous manner, the government could not do anything to them.
Before that, a guy named John Merriman was arrested for organizing activities in support of the Southern government and then acquitted under Habeas Corpus.
A middle-aged man righteously refused, “No way, the federal government has no right to repeal Habeas Corpus without the approval of the Maryland General Assembly.”
“Yes, it’s in the Constitution, and the President has no right at all to repeal the decree outright!”
“How did you become president without even a modicum of legal knowledge?”
“You stupid pig, go home and catch up on your lessons!”
……
Those who favored the Southern government spoke out to denounce the federal government for interfering in Maryland’s internal affairs and violating the federal constitution. The more aggressive ones went straight to name-calling.
Some even openly declared that if the federal government interfered in Maryland’s internal affairs, they would become independent.
What is a president when his own interests are jeopardized? Scolding the president is part of the daily life of the American people. As for the federal government, who are they scaring, have they done enough to treat government decrees like toilet paper?
Looking at the scene Lincoln knew that there was probably no hope of persuading these people to abandon the Southern government and turn to the light by words.
Interests determine positions. Even though Maryland’s livestock system was on the verge of disappearing in name only, as a state that exported farm products, farmers and plantation owners stood together in terms of interest.
Lincoln asked in a low voice to a middle-aged man next to him, “Are all the people finished coming?”
The middle-aged man replied in a low voice, “The big influential people in Maryland are basically all here.”
Lincoln nodded his head in satisfaction, then said unhurriedly, “Seeing that everyone is rather emotional, I think it is necessary for everyone to calmly think about it.
Why don’t we rest here tonight and we’ll continue discussing this issue tomorrow. The room master has already made arrangements, so I wish you all good dreams!”
After saying that, Lincoln quickly left under the escort of his bodyguards. The crowd, who sensed something was wrong, had just stepped out the door and was ready to leave when they realized that the outside had been surrounded by federal troops.
“Shit, we’re under house arrest. Son of a bitch scumbag, he actually dared to go against the rules!”
“It’s a very obvious thing, today’s banquet is a trap. The so-called discussing national affairs is a bait, in order to trick us into coming here, this asshole Lincoln actually made a personal appearance!”
“It’s too late to say anything now, we’ve already become prisoners.”
“No, he doesn’t dare to do anything to us. The President of the United States doesn’t have this much power, after doing something like this, I’ll see how he’ll end up!”
……
The curses of the crowd were no longer audible to President Lincoln. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t be willing to do this either. But the situation was now in crisis, and in order to set Maryland straight as soon as possible, he had to break the rules.
Today Lincoln had already offended all the socialites in Maryland, including those who supported the Northern government, and now they would definitely not have any good feelings towards him as a president.
It probably won’t be long before he becomes the least popular person in Maryland. If he still has to run in the next presidential election, there is no need to think about the votes in this state.
But for the sake of America to be reunited, he had no choice. If the problem in Maryland could not be solved quickly, once the rebels in the south fought, with the help of this bandwagon, they would soon be marching on Washington.
The federal government still needed time, and before reinforcements from the states arrived, the federal government had to withstand the first wave of pressure.
Xue Roaring and some of the others traveled to medieval Europe and became poop shovelers
And one of them turns out to be the Emperor in the Republic! –The Raiders of the European Emperor
For those interested, there’s not a lot of foreign history!
(End of chapter)