Holy Roman Empire

Looking at the big picture, it's people who don't feel pain shouting slogans.When it comes to their own interests, whether it is capitalists, politicians, or the public, they all choose the best way for themselves.

Secretary of State Safar rushed into the president's office and said: "Your Excellency, the big thing is not good.

Just now Illinois sent another call for help. They declared that if the federal government did not send reinforcements, they would withdraw from the war. "

Quit the war?Don't doubt that the federal states dare to be so willful.In order to prevent the homeland from becoming ruins, surrender is fine, let alone just withdrawing from the war?

Anyway, this is a civil war, and there is no killing.As long as Illinois withdraws from the war, the South will not attack them again.

Only in this way, the federal government will be finished.Now as long as there is one leader, I am afraid it is easy to form a chain reaction.

It’s true that capitalists want markets and cheap raw materials, provided they don’t involve themselves.If one's own property is on the front line and the enemy has invaded, then compromise is not out of the question.

You can't just accompany your own family business for the benefit of the class, right?It is impossible for the federal government to replenish these losses.

Hearing the news, Lincoln was so angry that he threw the document in his hand and cursed, "These bastards are actually threatening us!"

Then it was a pity that he had to accept this threat.

Almost all of Maryland and Ohio fell, Indiana had only a small area left, and Kansas lost a third. If Illinois withdraws from the war again, then the northern government's manpower advantage will no longer exist. Strategically It will also be in a passive state.

After a moment of silence, Lincoln said slowly, "I have decided to implement the Homestead Law immediately to attract people who are eager to acquire land."

Secretary of State Safar said in a cold tone: "Are you sure you have thought it through, and not just impulsive? If you take this step, you will never turn back."

Lincoln said firmly: "It's all come to this point, if I can't win this war, I'm afraid my ending will be even worse!

That being the case, why not take a gamble?Apart from enforcing the Homestead Law, I can't think of any other way to solve the problem of insufficient troops.

Just look at the Austrians. In just one year, they bluffed away more than [-] immigrants from us, almost catching up with our annual immigration from Europe.

Of course, we can't do things absolutely and leave a back door for them, so as not to jump over the wall in a hurry. "

Secretary of State Safar nodded. He and Lincoln were tied together, and neither could escape if they were unlucky.Of course he is not the president, shit, the hatred value is smaller.

Due to the needs of the war, Lincoln issued the "Homestead Act" on May 1862, 5, which solved the dilemma of the northern government's shortage of troops.

《宅地法》规定：“凡一家之长或年满21岁、从未参加叛乱之合众国公民，在宣誓获得土地是为了垦殖目的并缴纳10美元费用后，均可登记领取总数不超过160英亩（1英亩＝0.40公顷）宅地。

The registrant can obtain a land license and become the owner of the house after living and farming on the house for 5 years.

The "Homestead Law" also stipulates a compensation clause, that is, if the registrant applies for priority purchase, he can purchase it at a price of US$6 per acre after 1.25 months. "

The previous content is mainly to win over the people who want to acquire land. Although it is not stated explicitly, this is also a replica of military meritorious land granting.

Allegiance to the federal government requires military service.This also includes the meaning of the people in the southern states. If you want to prove that you have not betrayed the federal government, it is very simple, just go to the battlefield and fight the rebels.

Using land to buy people to fight on the battlefield, the federal government's approach undoubtedly harmed the interests of interest groups that manipulate land prices.

The subsequent compensation clause is the back door for them.It's just that the difficulty of operation is increased due to the limitation of time and the number of registered lands per person.

The "Homestead Law", known as a turning point in history, has a natural effect. The conscription point, which was previously hidden by everyone, now has a long queue again.

……

Compared with the shortcomings in the army, the achievements of the federal government in the navy are much greater.Of course, there are hundreds of ports in the area controlled by the Confederate Government. With the naval strength of the Confederate Government, it is naturally impossible to block them all.

They did a good job nonetheless, and in 1861 about ten percent of the ships bound for the Confederate government were caught.

Don't think that this number is small. In fact, it is very difficult to achieve this step with the strength of the US Navy.

The eccentric Royal Navy often haunts, and many times the cotton is transported, and the British fleet is staring at the Federal Navy not far away.

The question is not whether you can fight or not, but whether you can fight at all.Britain, France, and Osi have reached an agreement on the issue of interfering in the American Civil War. Once the war starts, it will be one against four.

What countries are missing now is an excuse to persuade civil wars. Against this background, it is not easy for the Federal Navy to achieve such results.

In order to break the blockade, the southern government also formed a navy.Because of the huge disparity in the number of warships between the two sides, the southern government secretly built iron-clad ships. At this time, the northern government was also building iron-clad ships.

In March 1862, the navies of the North and the South fought desperately in Hampton, which opened the prelude to the Ironclad War.

It is a pity that the American naval artillery technology is not very good. The "Merrimac" of the Southern Army and the "Monit" of the Northern Army fired at each other, and neither side achieved any results.

In this context, at the end of May 1862, the Austrian ocean-going fleet visited the Confederate government.

Earl Hummel and President Jefferson Davis had friendly exchanges and reached an agreement on strengthening bilateral trade cooperation, mainly labor export services.

On June 1862, 6, the two signed the "Labor Introduction Treaty", which stipulated that in the next ten years, the Confederate government would introduce 7 million laborers from the Austrian colonies, and the southern government would bear all immigration expenses and pay Austria 300 per person. Aegis cost.

Make no mistake, this is big business.The prerequisite is that the southern government wins the war in order to honor the treaty.

In order to win over Austria, the southern government also spent a lot of money.

This is determined by the fist. Regardless of the fact that the Austrian ocean-going fleet only has more than [-] warships, there are five ironclad ships in it, which is currently the most powerful fleet on the east coast.

Earl Hummel suggested: "Your Excellency, I think you need a strong navy to suppress the northern government's fleet and ensure the smooth flow of overseas trade."

Hummel is not the first to sell warships. The major European naval powers have all sold warships to the southern government, and the Confederate government has also ordered a lot of them.

Jefferson Davis replied in a lack of interest: "Yes, Your Excellency, we have already ordered a lot of warships in Europe, but they will not be able to arrive in a short time."

Earl Hummel smiled slightly and said: "Your Excellency, you need to be in stock, and ordering warships is too slow. The battlefield is ever-changing, and time is life.

If your navy now has the upper hand, this war may be over.As long as you block the foreign trade of the New England states, the Northern government will have to compromise. "

President Jefferson Davis's eyes lit up. He heard Earl Hummel's implication, and asked in disbelief: "Does your country intend to sell this fleet?"

Earl Hummel replied affirmatively: "Under normal circumstances, we will not sell active equipment, but we can make an exception for friends."

After a little thought, President Jefferson Davis said cautiously: "Your Excellency, please make an offer, we will not let our friends suffer!"

There was no way, even if he knew he was going to be slaughtered, he had no choice but to bring it up.No matter how expensive the price is, the loss of the ship intercepted by the northern government is not as great.

On the surface, these ship losses belonged to capitalists, but in fact these losses were borne by the southern government. The blockade by the northern government raised prices in southern states and restricted commodity exports.

The most typical is that in order to ensure sufficient speed and escape the pursuit of the Northern Navy, merchant ships have to leave a large number of empty positions.When encountering the Northern Navy, it is often necessary to throw the cargo on board into the sea to reduce weight to increase speed.

Earl Hummel quoted: "4600 million Aegis, the ocean-going fleet is packaged for sale, with bonus ammunition that can be used for three wars, and we provide free training services."

This is a sky-high price. 4600 million Aegis is about 2300 million pounds. If you only calculate the cost of shipbuilding, you can build a Royal Navy.

Of course, 2300 million pounds is definitely not enough to buy a Royal Navy, even if it is doubled, it is not enough.To build a Royal Navy from scratch, [-] million pounds is not enough.

The Royal Navy's dominance of the world depends not only on warships, but also on a series of supporting facilities, a huge industrial chain, and well-trained soldiers.

None of these are available to Southern governments, nor are they available to Northern governments.Before the outbreak of the Civil War, the number of the U.S. Navy was less than [-], and the navy of the southern government was only composed of retired personnel and merchant sailors.

It can be said that the quality of the naval officers and soldiers of the North and the South is among the best in the world, but it is counting backwards.

Jefferson Davis thought for a while and said: "Your Excellency, your quotation is too high. Otherwise, we will hire an ocean-going fleet to fight. As long as the northern navy is suppressed in the port, we will pay a commission of 4600 million Aegis."

Hummel shook his head, he would not dare to accept such a business.Don't look at how easy it is to suppress the Northern Navy in the short term, but in fact, the major shipyards of the Northern Government are making dumplings, and the size of the Northern Fleet will increase in the later stages.

If the southern government cannot win this war within a year, the balance of power between the two sides will change.Even if it relies on numbers, the northern government will gain an advantage.

Don't dream of destroying the enemy in naval battles.Can't win or run?After entering the port, there is shore artillery cover, so there is nothing they can do.

Unless the southern government is willing to hand over the army to Austrian command, then there is still some hope.The big deal is to land from Canada and stab back the Great Lakes region.

It is estimated that the British don't mind being blind for a while. Anyway, John Bull has a thick skin and can play a rogue.

"Sorry, we are a neutral country and cannot participate in the war."

Jefferson Davis just rolled his eyes. Which neutral country sells arms so much?Except for not going to the battlefield in person, you have already done everything you can and cannot do.

You can just think about these complaints, and it hurts too much to say it. Anyway, the Austrians still support them, and they are half allies.

"2500 million Aegis, at this price you can at least double the profit."

This was estimated by Jefferson Davis based on the ex-factory price of the Southern Shipyard, which defaulted to the capitalist's profit and added the ocean-going fee.

Hummel made some calculations and said: "Your Excellency, in terms of business, the price is not unnegotiable in normal times, but now is an extraordinary period. If there is no profit of more than double, it is considered a loss-making transaction."

……

On July 1862, 7, Austria signed an arms purchase agreement with Nicaragua, and the Vienna government sold the ocean-going fleet to the Nicaraguan government for 1 million Aegis.

There was an uproar in the Americas when the news came, and many people were surprised that Nicaragua actually had the money to buy the ocean-going fleet?

Before everyone recovered, on July 1862, 7, the Nicaraguan government transferred this giant fleet to the southern government at the same price.

Of course, it was the result of Earl Hummel's agreement to accept half of the bond payment to be able to sell at this sky-high price.In order to bind Austria, the southern government also worked hard.

The news has not yet reached Vienna, but the Austrian shipyards are already busy.

If the old ones don't go, the new ones won't come. Since the warships are going to be sold, it is impossible for Franz to let the Austrian Navy have no warships available, so it is natural to build new ships.

Intervention in the American Civil War in the future is still inseparable from the navy, and overseas colonization is also inseparable from the navy.It is estimated that when the news of the transaction is sent back to Europe, the new warship is about to enter service again.

Chapter 23 Emancipation Proclamation

To some extent, this time Austria acted as a shit-stirring stick.Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing is usually done by the British.

It's just that the British are guilty, worried that after selling a large number of warships, they will not be able to suppress the challenges of European countries.

The navy of a country with sea power is the core. Once the Royal Navy appears weak, challengers will pounce on it.

Don't look at the fact that France is now ruled by a pro-British faction. Once the opportunity arises, the French will never mind replacing it. This is why the world's boss usually suppresses the second.

Historically, the British supported the southern government, and most of the old warships were sold. The core warships of the Royal Navy have never been sold.

Franz has a lot of conscience. Although he also mixed and matched many old warships, those ironclad ships are all masterpieces of Austria's modern industrial technology, and he did not play the cut version.

Technically speaking, it is at least ten years ahead of the Americans.The two warships fired at a distance of several hundred meters, ran out of ammunition, and had a zero hit rate, which is what the U.S. Navy can do.

Of course, the human factor is also a major reason. The two rookie navies cannot have expectations.However, the poor artillery technology is also an important factor.

Austria is not a sea power country. Even if the southern government reversely introduced warship technology, it would be harmless. Without sufficient industrial strength, it would be difficult to imitate.

As for formulating corresponding countermeasures based on the structure of the warship, it is too much to think about.We are building new ships, so we are afraid that the old warships will be targeted?

Don't look at how long this time span is. In fact, the technology of this era is very fast, and the technology of the Austrian armored ships has been improved many times.The warship that is still lying on the berth is completely different from the original ironclad ship.

With the same firepower, an ironclad ship with 7000 to [-] tons can now be realized with only [-] tons.

The bigger the warship, the stronger the combat effectiveness.More depends on the installed artillery. Generally speaking, warships with powerful artillery and a large number of warships have stronger combat effectiveness.

Armor thickness is also a measure, but it is currently not taken seriously.Since it is a colonial empire, ocean operations must be considered. A defensive navy is not suitable for Austria.

……

New York, the federal government that had just been evacuated from Washington, was once again hit by a bolt from the blue.

The people have just been mobilized, and by using everyone's enthusiasm for the land, they have obtained enough soldiers and formed a military advantage over the southern government.

The Ministry of War is planning a counter-offensive, ready to use its superiority in military strength to kill the rebels.Unfortunately, before this plan could be implemented, news of the purchase of the fleet by the southern government was received.

This means that the plan to rely on the navy to blockade the South is completely bankrupt, and even the federal government's navy will be at a disadvantage for a period of time in the future. Maybe the southern government will block them in turn.

There is no doubt that what determines the naval strength of the southern government lies in the input of the southern government and the support of the great powers.

Austria can sell the fleet to the southern government, so Britain, France and Spain can also sell the fleet to the southern government.It is impossible for the northern government to compete with the four countries of Britain, France, Occidental and Western countries for industrial strength, and the two sides are not at the same level at all.

President Lincoln forced himself to calm down, looked at the Secretary of the Navy and asked expectantly: "If this fleet enters the rebel fleet, can the Navy guarantee the smooth flow of our sea transportation?"

Apparently, he had given up on using the navy to blockade the southern states.Lincoln was self-aware. Instead of thinking about things that could not be done, he might as well consider whether the federal government would be blocked.

Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells thought for a while and said: "There may be a little trouble, but the enemy does not have the ability to block our coast.

The ocean-going fleet sold by Austria is powerful because they have five state-of-the-art ironclad ships as their core, with more than [-] sailing battleships attached.

But their number of warships is not many, except for these main battle warships, the rest are auxiliary ships.

Our shipbuilding capabilities are limited. If we rely on our own strength alone, it will take at least two years to overtake the rebels.

The war can't wait that long. In order to gain maritime superiority as soon as possible, we can only buy or lease warships from the outside world. "

Shipbuilding takes time, and it is impossible for the American shipbuilding industry to build hundreds of warships in just a few years.

Historically, the Navy of the American Civil War Union was also mainly purchased and leased, and only part of it was built by itself.

After all, there are many warships that are so easy to build, not to mention ironclad warships, which is a manifestation of the industrial capabilities of the new era, and even wooden sail warships are not low.

Just the wood, that's a problem.A sailing warship often needs to cut down thousands of trees, and these cut woods are usually stored for several years to dry up after treatment.

The most critical keel can only be made of oak or teak, which has very high requirements for trees.

Fortunately, with the development of shipbuilding technology, most of these components can now be replaced by steel. Otherwise, after so many years of logging, Americans wanting to find so much wood is just dreaming.

When it comes to steel, there is no doubt that it is naturally imported from the British.The United States has defended its reputation as the world's largest steel importer for many years in a row. Now that the war has broken out, the demand for steel is even greater.

This is why Lincoln is worried about being blocked. If the supply of materials is cut off, they can directly admit defeat and recognize the independence of the southern government.

President Lincoln said fiercely: "Proceed according to your plan. At this point, it is time to compete with the southern government for financial resources. Let's see who can last longer."

Money is what is fought in war. In this era, many things can be bought with money, including warships.