Chapter 339: Chapter 26, The Cruel War
At the end of 1862, the years-long assassination conspiracy finally concluded. After a comprehensive review of all the evidence, all fingers pointed to the Sardinian Government.

Whether others believed it or not, the Paris Government believed it, and the Vienna Government accepted this explanation.

The protests of the Sardinian Government were ignored. Prior to the assassination, the Sardinian Government had secretly provided funding to the Carbonari, which became the most compelling evidence against them.

Most crucially, the French had a witness; the arrested suspect confessed unreservedly to the assassination and came forward to incriminate the Sardinian Government.

The former Prime Minister Cavour was thus clapped in jail, and if his luck was foul, he might even face the gallows.

The Prime Minister and high-level government officials were swept away in one fell swoop, and even Victorio Emanuele II could not escape blame. He had announced his abdication two days earlier.

The bargaining behind the scenes needs no elaboration; the French had paid a hefty price to have the other countries turn a blind eye to all that had occurred.

Franz asked in surprise, “The British just sold out the Kingdom of Sardinia like that?”

He had thought there would be a fierce battle between England and France over Sardinia, but he hadn’t expected the London Government to compromise so quickly.

Foreign Minister Weisenberg explained, “Your Majesty, we’ve acknowledged the actions of the French, the Russians are preoccupied with internal reforms and have no interest in Italian affairs, and the British are helpless to intervene.

Since the European balance was not disrupted, even if the French annex the Kingdom of Sardinia, they still cannot alter the continental structure of the three powers standing as equals.

The British were compensated elsewhere for their financial losses. The seizure of the suspect’s assets by the investigative commission was almost enough to repay the British loans.

The obstacles to the French annexing the Kingdom of Sardinia have been largely swept away; now it’s a matter of when the Paris Government will make its move.”

Franz scoffed, “So, is Napoleon III preparing to gain the throne by election again?”

Despite the French reasoning appearing quite substantial, these reasons are insufficient for them to legally annex the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Conspiring to assassinate a monarch and prosecuting the mastermind is all well and good; the Vienna Government is also in pursuit of accountability. But it’s quite another matter to absorb Sardinia because of that—first, they must ask whether the People of Sardinia are willing.

Especially making Victorio Emanuele II abdicate; politically, it’s a blunder. Even trading territories would look better than this.

France has many overseas colonies; it would be better to toss a nominal one to Victorio Emanuele II than to force him from the throne.

Ascending to the throne through popular election is the least legitimate way. Plainly speaking, if the people become displeased with him one day, they can remove him in the same manner.

Weisenberg replied, “According to the intelligence we have gathered, the French are indeed preparing for an election.”

Franz said calmly, “Then let’s give them a hand. Let our planted agents also support Napoleon III becoming the King of Sardinia, creating momentum for him in public opinion.”

Whether the Kingdom of Sardinia is directly incorporated into France or ruled by Napoleon III as the King of Sardinia is an important distinction.

If it’s the former, the Sardinian People certainly won’t agree. But in reality, that is what would serve French interests best. After a short-term pain, it ensures that Sardinia won’t break away.

However, this approach looks quite unsightly. Given how far things have gone, it’s difficult for them to maintain appearances. They must either not act at all or act decisively.

If it’s the latter, they are counting on France to be forever mighty enough to keep Sardinia under control. The moment France shows any sign of weakness, the Kingdom will push for independence.

Italians don’t perceive themselves as one with France; the very foundation for their rule does not exist. Napoleon III can’t bribe the masses to accept his rule.

Napoleon may be formidable, but the Napoleon Family’s legacy is too shallow to allow Napoleon III to accomplish his political ambitions.

Franz could relate to this deeply; Austria’s smooth expansion in Europe was to a great extent due to the political legacy of the Habsburg dynasty.

Reading through history books, one finds many regions in Europe that were ruled by the Habsburgs over the centuries. Even if he lost territory, he could still raise the banner of dynastic restoration. Even if it’s somewhat contrived, his basis in law still existed.

Without the political legacy of ancestors, who in the German Confederation would listen to him? The same goes for the Austrian Italian Region; he’s legitimate in legal terms.

This legitimacy holds true both in the East and in the West, where many who rebel often raise the flag of a former dynasty. Not because it garners many followers but to prove they are not Rebels; they have the righteousness of legitimacy.

With such righteousness, it’s called striving for hegemony; without it, one is a mere bandit. Those who have lastingly thrived were the ones striving for hegemony; no bandit has ever ascended to the throne.

“He who does not plan for eternity is not fit to plan for a moment; he who does not plan the whole situation is not fit to plan a single state.”

This was Franz’s motto, constantly reminding himself to stay vigilant.

…

On January 15, 1863, with the support of the Southern Confederation Government, the Indigenous people from Indiana in the Middle region declared independence.

This area was designated by the United States government for the resettlement of Indians from the 1830s to 1840s, with dozens of tribes forcibly relocated there.

The Federal government had not yet effectively governed the area, as due to hatred, there were few white settlers there—it wasn’t until after 1889 that white people flooded into the region.

The war persisted, and both parties were competing in overall national strength. To win the war, the Southern Government had to attract more allies.

Since they’d already declared independence, betraying the Federal Government’s interests to buy allies put no pressure on them.

To entice the Indians into the war, the Confederate Government provided the newly independent Indian Chiefdom with fifty thousand rifles, one hundred cannons, and various ammunition.

Once armed, the Indians embarked on a path of vengeance. Kansas became the first to fall.

Already being suppressed by the Southern Army in Missouri, they collapsed entirely under the unexpected attack from the Indians, leading to a massacre that turned the rivers red with blood.

The Indians, driven by a deep-seated vendetta, unleashed the fiercest of retribution in the territory.

Not just this battlefield, but by now, the war has escalated, and both the Northern and Southern sides are seeing red. In some areas, it has become a slaughter for slaughter’s sake, with civilians being the greatest victims.

Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, and other combat zones have fallen into a veritable hell on earth.

The nature of the war has changed; with the propaganda from both governments, hatred has become one of the main factors supporting the war.

Nations that were originally planning to intervene are stunned by the Americans’ frenzy and have unanimously chosen to stand by and watch.

Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t scared, rather, they want the Americans to continue fighting each other, depleting each other’s strength, the best outcome being both sides suffer heavy losses.

To this end, the Anglo-Austrian two countries have been teaching the Southern Government how to engage in diplomacy, including wooing the Indians as one of the strategies.

…

New York, looking at the casualty report submitted by the Federal government, President Lincoln dared not face it directly.

With the addition of the Indians, Kansas fell and nearly the entire 70,000-man Federal Army was wiped out; civilian casualties exceeded 300,000, and the survivors became refugees of war, fleeing into the Western Region.

He knew all too well what this meant. The scope of the war has expanded again, with the flames reaching into the Middle regions, and the political and military pressure on the Federal government has further increased.

If the Federation cannot gain an upper hand, it is estimated that many Federal States will opt out of this war for their own safety. In the face of existential threats, no interest matters anymore.

It’s nice to dream, but people need to see hope of being able to feast. Otherwise, the capitalists who support the Federal government can also become shaky in their stance.

At the very least, the capitalists of Kansas have lost everything, with many even losing their lives. Capitalists located in the frontline combat states have similarly become losers in this reshuffle.

Whether or not the Federal government can win, they have already been eliminated from the game.

If not for the inadequate diplomatic skills of the Southern Government and the fact that the Anglo-Austrian two countries wish to see the war continue and have deliberately misled them, at least several states would have withdrawn from the war by now.

“A carrot in one hand, a stick in the other” is the most correct tactic; had the Southern Government not focused on the Northern government from the start and instead taken a political offensive state by state, it’s likely the neighboring states would now be opting for neutrality.

Up against the entire Federal government, the Southern Confederation has no certainty of victory, but dealing with one or a few Federal States is a different matter altogether.

Shrewd capitalists, for the most part, will choose neutrality for their own interests, especially after the tragedy in Kansas, where everyone learned that the Federal government couldn’t ensure their safety.

President Lincoln muttered to himself, “The civil war has progressed to this point, our casualties must have surpassed three million, right?”

The Secretary of State outside the door replied, “Not yet, but perhaps by next week it will. The total number of military casualties for the Federal government is 1.768 million, including 456,000 killed in action; civilian casualties are 1.182 million, including 382,000 deaths.”

(Note: Casualties are calculated by the number of injuries. Theoretically, a soldier could be counted as injured dozens of times.)

Lincoln sighed, “If you include the rebel casualties, the population loss we’ve paid for this war is probably already over 1.5 million.”

Clearly, he regretted initiating this war. Not just Lincoln, many Americans regretted it. If everyone knew the war would be this cruel, compromises would have been made before its outbreak.

Although the interests of the capitalists and plantation owners cannot be reconciled, that does not apply to capitalists and plantation owners of the warring states.

Class interests are not the same as personal interests, and for their own gain, selling out the class comes with no pressure for the capitalists.

Secretary of State Saffar pondered for a moment before saying, “It depends on how you calculate it. If you take into account the reduction in immigration due to the civil war and the departure of immigrants, then the loss might be further increased by a million.

No, that’s not right, not immigrants. Actually, our total immigration hasn’t decreased by much. It’s just that white immigration has decreased while Asian and black immigration is continuously increasing.”

The increase in black immigration is actually forced. The enlistment of a large number of able-bodied men into the army has resulted in a shortage of labor in various industries.

Now, during the war period, immigrants from European countries are not coming at all. Out of necessity, laborers had to be brought in from the outside, and the increase in colored immigrants became inevitable.

Lincoln nodded and said, “No wonder there are more and more black soldiers in the army. It seems that many people have used them to replace their military service.”

Not everyone is willing to go to the battlefield, especially the wealthy capitalists, who are even more averse to the idea. In this land of capitalists, the Federal government naturally cannot force capitalists to serve.

Hiring people for military service perfectly solves this problem, the Federal government gets its troops, and the capitalists fulfill their military duty.

Secretary of State Saffar said with a troubled expression, “Your Excellency The President, I think there’s no need for you to concern yourself with these trivial matters.

Our big trouble is coming soon, with the congressional inquiry next week—have you thought about how to cope with it?”

From a strategic perspective, the Federal government has held back the Southern Government’s offensive, keeping control of the Great Lakes core area and Washington, and has thus achieved a phase victory.

Although Kansas is located in the center of the United States, geographically, to the east is Flint Hills, to the west are the Smoky Hills and the Red Hills, and near the Colorado state border are the San Fral Mountains.

Even if the Southern Government takes control here, they cannot advance westward, and there’s no need to worry about Missouri to the east since it has already joined the Southern Government.

A tactical defeat doesn’t greatly impact the overall war situation. President Lincoln can hold his seat and think about future issues.

If Pennsylvania had fallen, he would not have been able to sit still.

Lincoln said indifferently, “What’s there to be afraid of now? Even if I’m willing to step down immediately, someone has to be willing to take over this mess.

Before the war is over, Congress isn’t likely to drive us out. In case the Federal government loses the war, the blame for splitting the Federation still needs to be borne by us.”

It isn’t about giving up hope; rather, he truly understands American politics. The current situation is still very unfavorable for the Federal government; there’s a significant chance the Federation could split, and no one wants to bear the blame for that.

Looking at the present conditions, even after winning the war, dealing with the Southern states will still be a big problem. Whoever sits in this position, the outcome won’t be wonderful.