On July 4, news of the victory in the Battle of Vicksburg reached Washington via radio waves. At this time, it was the Independence Day of the United States. The holiday and the news of victory immediately immersed Washington in a sea of joy.
The wave of optimism caused the price of gold to fall against paper money. It was clear to everyone that victory in this battle completely reversed the situation in the Civil War and became a turning point in the Civil War.
"Mr. President, just two hours ago, Pemberton surrendered his army and the Confederacy's Gibraltar to General Grant."
Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton said with a smile in the Oval Office of the White House.
"After this victory, we not only controlled the entire Mississippi River, but also dismembered the Confederacy into two parts that were completely isolated from each other. The Southern Confederacy lost its connection with states such as Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.
This caused the Southern Confederacy to lose material supplies from the west, and at the same time, it also fundamentally cut off the South's channels for importing and smuggling weapons and ammunition from Europe through the Gulf of Mexico. These undoubtedly made things worse for the Southern Confederacy, which was extremely tight in material supplies.
, economically and in terms of foreign aid, we have strangled the Southern Alliance by the throat. With this victory, we can move our troops eastward without any worries. Mr. President, I think we will win the final victory of this war very soon, even better than we imagined.
Faster!"
"Yes, Edwin, it is true, I think victory will come sooner than we think!"
However, Lincoln's excitement was different from Edwin's. With the victory in the Battle of Vicksburg, he finally found a wise and courageous commander who could lead the Northern Army to victory. Since the outbreak of the Civil War, all outstanding generals have rushed to
In the reality of the South, Lincoln had been struggling to find a commander who could win the war and end the Civil War as soon as possible.
From Scott to McDowell, from McClellan to Halleck, these people all disappointed Lincoln. These people were either anticlimactic, ambitious and lacking in talent, or they were cautious, timid, and silver-colored guns.
They were either thinking about their own political future, or they were brave and brought endless disasters to the north.
The victory of the Vicksburg Battle made Lincoln couldn't help but carefully consider the battle commander Grant. He found that General Grant was completely different from other generals. He adopted active and flexible methods, which not only effectively attacked
By forcing the enemy to surrender, the Confederate army could fundamentally turn the tide of the war.
"Facts have proven that General Grant's choice was correct. Now that Vicksburg has been captured, we have taken the initiative on the battlefield, which will definitely reverse the situation in our war!"
When he said these words, Lincoln valued Grant even more, thinking that he was a handsome man who could lead the federal army to victory.
This kind of general is exactly what he is looking for!
"It would be even better if there was more good news from Gettysburg..."
"Yes, Mr. President, I think General Meade will have good news for us soon."
Seeing that the president was in a good mood, Secretary of State William Henry Seward said from the sidelines.
"Mr. President, there is another thing that I think you need to know about."
"whats the matter?"
"Do you remember that American company?"
"Is that the company that smuggles arms to the south?"
Lincoln's brows were raised slightly, with a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.
"What other weapons did they send south?"
"Mr. President, Mr. Zuo is the leader of this American company's inspection team. He is currently in Washington. Perhaps you should meet with him."
Secretary Seward said.
"To show him our dissatisfaction!"
…
Meet the President of the United States.
Zuo Zongtang didn't believe this was real until he walked into the Oval Office.
The United States was his last stop after leaving America for Europe. In the past few months, he had been visiting various places in the United States. After leaving South China, he visited many countries along the way, including Brazil and Cuba. He had never seen
To the emperor or president of those countries.
But in Washington, after the accompanying Hamada Hikozo introduced his identity to Seward, the Secretary of State proactively suggested that he meet with the president.
President...the great leader of a country. Although he is not the emperor, in some countries he is not much different from the emperor.
When Zuo Zongtang walked into the office, Lincoln took the initiative to greet Zuo Zongtang, stretched out his hands, and said to Zuo Zongtang:
"Welcome to come from afar, Mr. Zuo."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. President."
After the simple courtesy, Lincoln first asked Zuo Zongtang about the results of his visit. Zuo Zongtang naturally praised him politely. Soon, Lincoln got to the point.
"Mr. Zuo, first of all, I hope you know that we respect the American Company extremely, but we have noticed that since the outbreak of the war in our country, the American Company has exported a large amount of arms to the south. On the battlefield,
, your explosives, your muskets, and your cannons are constantly killing and injuring American soldiers. Those weapons are fueling the separatist forces in the south. In this regard, our diplomats have protested many times, but our protests have been ignored.
You ignored it."
Although he could easily understand what Lincoln said, Zuo Zongtang still waited until Hamada Hikozo translated before speaking.
"I am surprised by what Mr. President said. America Company is a commercial company. According to the principle of free trade, we cannot prevent businessmen from buying goods from us. Arms are just a commodity!"
Before coming to the White House, Zuo Zongtang had already guessed that the Americans would definitely mention the arms issue. Even when he first arrived in New York, he had seen news in the newspaper about the American company exporting arms to the south. This is also
As a matter of course, the company spent money to purchase some weapon patents from Spencer and others, and those weapons had long since "lost" to the south.
“After merchants purchase goods, we have absolutely no control over who they sell them to. After all, those merchants may sell the goods to any place in the world. But please rest assured, Mr. President, since your country’s ambassador to Buenos
After Ambassador Ellis protested to us, we have issued a strict order prohibiting companies within our territory from exporting arms to the south."
Of course, this is just an excuse. All the prohibitions and strict orders are just for others to hear. Of course, the business must continue. Besides, Zuo Zongtang also agrees with the lord's view - the money of the foreign devils cannot be ignored.
Earn it!
Do business, make money, don't be miserable! Just kill more foreign devils.