Chapter 347: Chapter 34: The Crime of Non-War
Plans can never keep up with changes, and the American Civil War, which was thought to be nearing an end, was still at a stalemate by 1864.

Campaigns involving hundreds of thousands of troops could not be concluded in a day or two. Neither side could afford to lose, and both commanders were cautious and seasoned. The battles became wars of attrition.

The Southern Army had slightly better combat capabilities, but the Northern Army had more people. On a battlefront extending over a hundred kilometers, both sides fought bitterly several times, each achieving victories and defeats. Overall, it was a draw.

The power of the butterfly effect is immense. With support from various countries, the Southern Government gained strength while the Northern Government was weakened, reflecting directly on the battlefield.

New York, President Lincoln nearly collapsed as he looked at the telegram for reinforcement in his hand. This was the umpteenth request for more troops since the major battle began, and he typically received three or four such telegrams each week.

If anyone else suggests it: fighting a war of attrition with formidable national power to wear down the Rebel army, Lincoln would certainly go up to smack him a few times.

Industrial advantage, after the support of the great powers, did the North truly still have an industrial advantage?

The Rebel army may have limited industrial manufacturing capabilities, but couldn’t they still buy what they needed?

Now the Northern Government could not blockade the Southern ports. After several fierce naval battles, the Northern navy still could not secure victory.

Any advantage in the economy is even more nonsensical. Do you really think every capitalist is a patriot willing to sacrifice everything for their country?

Class interests are not the same as individual interests; making money is the priority. As long as they make money, who cares if the United States is split apart?

Capital has no boundaries, not a joke but a reality. As long as they make money, even if they leave the United States, they can still live very well.

Conversely, if they selflessly support the Federal government to win the war, but when the time comes to divide the spoils: Sorry, this is an era where strength speaks.

Although the economy of the Northern Government is larger, the actual wealth it can mobilize is not much less than that of the Southern Government.

At least Southern cotton bonds are more favored in the international capital market than Northern war bonds. England, France, Austria, and Spain supported the Southern Government by accepting many of its bonds.

It’s different for the Northern Government; they must either pay in foreign currency or with gold and silver. Do you know what a US Dollar is? Nobody recognizes it.

In the end, the tragic discovery was that the real advantage of the Northern Government was just its larger population, which allowed it to compete with the Southern Government in terms of human lives.

However, this advantage had its limits. If the losses were too heavy, public war-weariness would surge.

Since the major battle began, the Northern Government’s forces have been losing about a regiment’s worth of soldiers every day, and dealing with frontline requests for reinforcements had become President Lincoln’s routine.

Looking haggard, President Lincoln asked, “My Secretary of War, please tell me how much longer this battle will last?”

The Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, thought for a moment and said, “Sorry, Mr. President, only God knows the answer to that. All I know is that we cannot take risks now; the Federation cannot afford to lose this battle.”

Secretary of State Saffar added, “Then is there a way to reduce casualties? According to the current rate of loss, by the time we suppress the Rebel army, the Union will have no future.”

Due to Franz’s butterfly effect, right after the war broke out, a large number of weapons and equipment were sold to both the Northern and Southern Governments, both of which expanded their armies faster than in the same period in history.

Correspondingly, soldiers’ training time was drastically reduced. On average, each soldier received less than 40 days of training. During the most critical times, Federal soldiers, with less than a week of training, were sent to the battlefield.

The aftermath was that the casualties on both sides surpassed the historical period. The heavy loss of young and strong individuals already threatened the governance of the Federal government.

The Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, explained, “State governments fill their ranks with prisoners, hooligans, and a large number of soldiers of color, and we have not pursued this.

The poor quality of soldiers inevitably leads to increased casualties, but at least we have reduced the mortality rate of white soldiers.”

Lincoln immediately interrupted, “Sir, let’s not speak of such matters. They are all Federal soldiers, and there should be no distinction made by race, do you understand?”

Some things can be done but should not be spoken of. Political correctness was also coming to the fore in this era in the United States.

…

Richmond, President Jefferson-Davis was facing the same problems. The cruel toll of casualties was exhausting the Confederate Government.

The shortage of human resources had become the biggest issue for the Southern Government. Labor export companies were active, but these cheap laborers from the African Continent were ineffective and had to undergo strict training before they could become qualified laborers.

If the Northern Government were willing to compromise, he wouldn’t mind stopping the war immediately. Continuing the fight with insufficient manpower made it very hard for the Southern Government to match the Northern Government.

Of course, they did not fear the Northern government, for if it came down to a fight to the death, they believed they could drag the Northern government down with them.

In less than four years, due to the Civil War, the population of the United States had fallen by 5%, even with the backdrop of a large influx of Asians and Africans.

The Northern government, straddling the two oceans, had the advantage of receiving Asian immigrants, while the Southern Government, due to geographical location, received mainly African immigrants.

Currently, there are at least four hundred thousand active African American soldiers fighting for the Southern Government, and the total number of fallen African American soldiers exceeds two hundred and fifty thousand.

To encourage slave owners to bring their enslaved soldiers into battle, the Federal government offered double compensation since well-trained enslaved men made excellent cannon fodder, and the newly arrived African workers were still defiant.

In an effort to boost the morale of the African American soldiers, and at the insistence of Robert-Lee, the Confederate Government emancipated the enslaved soldiers. They also offered substantial bounties, such as rewarding a freedman, or equivalent wealth, for every two enemy soldiers killed.

The direct consequence was that in the armies composed of African American soldiers, prisoners were almost nonexistent.

President Jefferson-Davis, concerned, asked, “Mr. Robert, have the British agreed to send troops for intervention?”

A snake cannot function without its head. As the most active member of the Intervention Alliance, John Bull rightfully became the leader of the alliance.

Now that both sides were at a stalemate, it was an opportune time to intervene. The appearance of the Intervention Allied Forces could instantly tip the balance of power.

Even the move of a single country could become the last straw to break the camel’s back and upset the balance of power between the North and the South.

Secretary of State Robert frowned and said, “The British want to watch us slaughter each other, considering how long the war has been going, there are no victors anymore.

In this recent grand battle, we’ve suffered casualties of up to 380,000, with 110,000 dead; the Northern government is close to 600,000, with at least 180,000 dead.

Even if we won this battle, neither of us has the capacity to press our advantage in the short term. The Northern government isn’t faring much better. Everyone’s worn down and can’t fight on.”

Vice President Alexander objected, “I’m afraid that may not be the case. The greatest effect of a grand battle is on the morale of the troops, not just the number of casualties.

No matter how heavy the losses, as the victor with at least a hundred thousand mobile troops, as long as their spirit remains high, they can continue to fight on.

By then, the loser can only rely on the Intervention Allied Forces. Only by intervening in a moment of crisis can they reap the greatest benefits.”

This was a fact; a spirited army could often defeat an army several times its size if the latter’s morale was scattered. After this grand battle, a force of a hundred thousand could already determine the outcome of this Civil War.

However, this did not pose a threat to the Intervention Allied Forces. With an addition of over two hundred thousand fresh troops, the situation on the battlefield could be turned instantly. For greater benefits, the British were naturally willing to wait for the outcome before stepping in.

This was the difference between theory and reality. Theoretically, the Northern government had over two million total forces, and the Southern Government had over a million, making the twenty thousand of the Intervention Allied Forces seem insignificant.

In reality, total military strength doesn’t equate to the forces that can be committed to battle. Each state’s priority is its own security, not sending all its forces into combat.

Furthermore, the issue is having troops capable of fighting. Taking the Northern government as an example, if half of the over two million forces were front-line troops, they could have steamrolled over the South two or three times.

But in reality, not to mention half, there weren’t even one-tenth of front-line forces; apart from those hundred thousand or so capable troops, the rest were a rabble.

You couldn’t expect an army of sixteen thousand rookies, split into two to fight a Civil War, to train a million elites in less than four years.

Historically, battles between the North and the South, often involving tens of thousands of troops, were decisive. If neither side was willing to commit their elite forces and go all-in, large-scale battles like this wouldn’t have arisen.

After a moment of silence, President Jefferson-Davis spoke, “Secretly reach out to the Northern government and explain the situation to them. If they don’t want the British picking up bargains, acknowledge our independence and end this war.”

Secretary of State Robert shook his head, “I suspect there’s little hope. We could minimize losses if we settled this privately in negotiations, but the politicians of the Northern government cannot bear this responsibility.

I don’t think they’ll risk their political careers, let alone future retaliation from the capitalists, for the sake of patriotism.”

This was a practical issue; those who are selfless are always the minority. Historically, once the Southern Government was on the losing side, these people still jumped ship for their own interests, didn’t they?

Expecting the Northern government to be filled with selfless patriots is hardly more likely than winning the lottery.

With the military intervention of the major powers leading to the split of the Federal Government, the politicians could still shift the blame elsewhere.

In this era, the great powers of Europe were strong; the defeat was not because of their incompetence, but rather the enemy was too powerful. It was no fault of war at all.