Arms are just a commodity.
Smuggling is just a business.
Lincoln was helpless for such an answer.
He wanted to stop it, but he couldn't stop it at all!
It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t!
In fact, who was the largest arms supplier in the Civil War?
Of course it was the British. The British not only sold almost a million Enfield P1853s and various other artillery pieces to the warring North and South sides. They even sold warships to the South!
However, Lincoln soon became pragmatic and no longer entangled with Zuo Zongtang on the arms issue. As a politician, he knew very well that such arms smuggling could not be stopped at all. The British also promised not to export arms to the South.
?
But what if the arms purchaser is French, Egyptian or Cuban?
The buyer can change his identity, wait until the merchant ship is full of weapons and leave the port, and then change the destination.
Even with the so-called official ban, arms still continue to flow into the south. The only good thing is that the American Company only manufactures some light weapons and exports some gunpowder and explosives.
Moreover, this company cannot be compared with those countries in Europe. The United Kingdom and France are the real big sellers of weapons smuggled to the south.
The current protests are nothing more than routine.
Now that Lincoln became pragmatic, Zuo Zongtang also became extremely pragmatic, and then he congratulated Lincoln for the Union army's victory at Vicksburg.
Facing his congratulations, Lincoln nodded and said.
"The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hudson marked the federal government's success in opening up the entire Mississippi River. The father of the river once again ran toward the sea without any worries."
As he spoke, Lincoln smiled broadly.
"Mr. Zuo, maybe by the time you come back from Europe, the war will be over. By then, with the end of the war, the United States will be unified again. You are welcome to come to the United States as a guest again. You can go to the south to see it.
Look, I want you to learn what this war means from the freed black men."
"Yes, Mr. President, I believe justice will prevail! And I myself look forward to visiting the South one day."
Who is the righteous party?
A qualified politician can say the same thing here in Washington, and of course it can also be said in Richmond. In short, politicians always speak what people say when they meet, and tell lies when ghosts meet.
In front of foreign devils, there is no need to tell the truth at all.
Just when Lincoln was happily receiving Zuo Zongtang's blessing, the door of the Oval Office was knocked open again, and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton walked in nervously. He even
Without even looking at the outsiders who were still in the office, he said in a panic.
"Mr. President, the Army of the Potomac led by Major General Meade was defeated at Gettysburg. His army was surrounded and suffered serious losses. Although General Meade led the army to break through the siege, now Lee is leading his army.
The Army of Virginia marches on Washington, Mr. President."
"What!"
Standing up suddenly, Lincoln said in shock.
"Meade lost!"
"Yes, Mr. President, no one can stop Lee's Army from Gettysburg to Washington!"
The Secretary of War's words made Lincoln stunned for several seconds, but he made a decision immediately.
"Immediately give an order to General Meade, ordering his army not to take another step back. He must stop the Southern Army's attack at all costs!"
He then ordered the Secretary of War to do everything possible to mobilize all available troops to defend Washington.
After a while, and after issuing several orders in succession, Lincoln noticed that there were still guests in the office, so he apologized.
"Mr. Zuo, I'm very sorry. I have more important things to deal with now. Let's see you another day!"
"Of course, Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality."
Zuo Zongtang stood up and said goodbye. When leaving the Oval Office, he noticed the chaos in the White House.
"Hamada, it seems that we accidentally witnessed a drastic change!"
Hamada Hikozo, who has been naturalized as a Chinese, had already changed his name to Liu Bintian, he nodded and said.
"Hey, who would have thought that tens of millions of people in the north would be beaten like this by the south. That General Robert E. Lee was really a famous general in the world!"
"Who knows? However, if my lord knows this news, I'm afraid he will be disappointed. Once the South comes to Washington, the war will most likely end. By then, our business will no longer be able to continue!"
When Zuo Zongtang felt so regretful, he had no idea that compared to the money earned from smuggling arms, he wanted to see the defeat of the North and the division of the United States. After all, there is nothing more beautiful than a divided United States.
It's important.
"Pity……"
When he boarded the carriage, Zuo Zongtang looked towards the south and couldn't help but sigh with regret. He didn't know whether he was regretful that the war was over or that he couldn't meet Robert E. Lee.
When Zuo Zongtang left in the car, Pennsylvania Avenue was already in chaos. Members of Congress and senior government officials who learned the news all packed up their belongings and prepared to leave the city, just like before the British occupied Washington.
At this time, Washington was already in chaos due to the enemy's approach.
Looking at the chaos on the street through the car window, Zuo Zongtang actually had the illusion of witnessing the end of the dynasty, but it was just an illusion.
"Sir, you see, the politicians in Washington are either running away or preparing to run away. Perhaps the Southerners have truly won this war."
Regarding Liu Bintian's judgment, Zuo Zongtang shook his head and said.
"The South can't win!"
"What? Sir, they are almost reaching Washington now!"
Liu Bintian said in surprise.
"Washington is just a city. Hamada, do you remember the cities we have been to in the past few months? Do you remember the factories in New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia? We can clearly see that the United States
All our factories are in the North, but what does Washington have?”
Pointing to the carriage escaping hastily outside the window, Zuo Zongtang said.
"They are just a group of drunkards who live a rich life and eat nothing. Even if the Confederacy occupied Washington, it would not mean much. After all, there are not many factories and not many people here. Even if it is lost,
Once they get to Washington, as long as they have factory-made guns and soldiers, they can still take back Washington. As for the South... what does the South have?"
It must be said that after several months of inspections of the United States, Zuo Zongtang already had a certain understanding of this country, and of course he also had a basic judgment on the outcome of the war.
"For the South, the best option at the moment is probably to use the advantage on the battlefield to force Lincoln to negotiate. However, Lincoln is also a decisive person. If my prediction is correct, he should refuse to negotiate!"
After several months of traveling in the United States, Zuo Zongtang didn't think the South had any chance of winning. After all, the South only had some cotton.
This chapter has been completed!