Wall's plan is novel and bold, and seems to have opened a new window for everyone sitting here.
"Mr. Wall, I didn't expect that you are not only an excellent commander, but also an excellent strategic master." Davis was also a soldier. In fact, he was the supreme commander of the Union Army.
So he is also a man who knows military skills.
"The plan you proposed to contain the enemy on the eastern front and attack on the western front is very feasible. However, this may change our initial strategic deployment, so I can't give you an answer yet."
Davis pressed his hand. Although the plan proposed by Wall just now was very exciting, he could not decide the direction of the war just because of Wall's words.
This is a war involving dozens or millions of people.
Next, it’s time to talk to Hua Er about the serious business of calling him. Just now it was just a test of Hua Er’s ability.
Davis said straight to the point: "General Wall, your ability to command operations is greatly admired by everyone in our Alliance Army, so I would like to formally invite you here today to join the Alliance Army. We will use your mercenaries as originally agreed."
Good pay keeps hiring.”
When Davis was young, he was known for his good looks, just like Abraham was known for his ugliness.
In the southern region, where people are judged based on their birthplace and appearance, and where the aristocratic style is strong, it is normal for a person like Davis to be elected president of the Confederate States.
However, Davis can be said to be both civilized and military, and he is not a flower vase.
"Mr. President, we have been cooperating for several years. My staff and I have been very happy cooperating with you, so I agree to your invitation. I just don't know what kind of role our army will play in the next battle.
Role."
When Wall asked this, he was actually asking Davis to make new terms with them.
In the past few years, they had only fought a limited local war in Kansas, and the opponent did not even have regular troops.
But no one knows the scale of the upcoming national war.
In such a large-scale national war, what role can Yangtze River Security play?
"General Wall, I wonder how many troops your Yangtze River Security still has in Kansas? If you increase the number of troops, how many people can you recruit?" Davis asked, obviously wanting to get a feel for Yangtze Security's background.
"Mr. President, our regiment currently has 20,000 soldiers on the front line in Kansas."
This number is the scale that Yangtze Security has maintained for a long time.
Because the northern forces failed in Kansas, there has been no large-scale battle in the past two years.
Therefore, the number of soldiers has not changed much.
"But Mr. President, if necessary, we can increase the size of the legion to 50,000 people in a short period of time. Of course, if there are sufficient funds, this number can be increased. You know that we have our own recruitment channels."
These people all know that most of the Yangtze Security soldiers are Easterners, and some people also suspect that this has something to do with the Renaissance Army.
But there is no direct evidence, and they dare not investigate in depth. After all, Yangtze Security has always acted in accordance with the contract.
They did not show obvious political leanings.
Everyone couldn't help but be surprised when they heard that Wall was able to increase the number of troops to 50,000 in a short period of time.
The Union Army has only recruited 100,000 volunteers so far.
There are only 10,000 to 20,000 militiamen in each state.
The strength of Yangtze Security can surpass that of a state. Moreover, they are all well-trained professional soldiers.
"General Wall, if you can increase the number of troops to 50,000, I am willing to appoint you as the commander of the Kansas Army, and the original militia in the Kansas area will also be transferred to your command. Of course, if you can recruit more troops, we
All will be paid according to the previously agreed upon salary.”
The reason why Davis said this was because they had discussed this before.
As a new state, Kansas was originally very weak. Basically, if Yangtze Security was brought in, it would become a major state.
In this way, the Confederacy would have a new force in the area west of the Mississippi River.
And this is precisely where the northern power is relatively weak.
However, going east here in Kansas can threaten Missouri, which is on both sides of the border at this time, and going north can enter Illinois, an important industrial and mining town in the north.
If the strategy proposed by Wall just now is to be realized, then the role of the Kansas Army will be crucial.
But without Yangtze Security, the Kansas Army would not be able to be established.
The place has been in war for a long time, and now it needs money but no money, and it needs people but no one.
Kansas had no money, but the Confederate States at this time had money. Two-thirds of America's annual foreign exchange income came from the sale of cotton in the South.
"Commander? Thank you very much for the president's love, but I am not from Kansas. I can command my own men, but I can't command others, but I'm afraid I can't convince the public." Wall was extremely happy in his heart, but he still wanted to be humble on the surface.
If they could join the North-South War as the Kansas Legion, it would be much better than their current status as mercenaries.
This is also the task Dong Shuheng gave him.
What Dong Shuheng has been doing in North Amelia in recent years is to intervene in the civil war between the North and the South.
But it is unrealistic for an external force to intervene.
The leaders of both the North and the South are American political elites, and these people are not fools.
Alas, Fudu supported the South, but until the South failed, they were unable to send troops to directly participate in the war.
It can be seen from this that both the North and the South are xenophobic.
But Yangtze Security has been helping the southerners fight for several years. A basic relationship of trust has been established between the two parties.
Southerners basically recognized that this was a mercenary organization established by German-American Americans.
Some of the backstage bosses of this organization are Orientals. This can explain why they can obtain so many soldiers and weapons with Oriental faces.
In Millicia, which is composed entirely of immigrants, they don't care who your army is made up of.
Just like the Federation now has the Irish United, the German United, the Italian United, and even the Black United.
They can even accept those consortiums to form armies freely.
Then it will be more acceptable to a mercenary organization like Yangtze Security that has long-term cooperation.
"No problem, I have already communicated with the state of Kansas, and they have agreed that you will form the Kansas Army." Davis said.
Kansas will naturally agree, because future expenditures for the legion will be borne by the Union government.
Kansas has always relied on blood transfusions from various states to survive. They have no right to make their own choices.
"If this is the case, it would be better for me to obey my orders than to be respectful," Wall said.
"Mr. President, I wonder who controls our Kansas Army?" Wall didn't want to be controlled.
"Mr. Wall, you are directly under my command. Your current task is to clean up the northern forces in the Nebraska area first. As for the strategy you mentioned to attack Illinois, we need to think about it first." Dai.
West Road.
…
After Wall left, the people present did not leave. They continued to discuss the strategy proposed by Wall.
At General Lee's insistence, the main force was placed on the eastern front where Virginia was located.
Most of the main generals sitting here are from the established states in the east.
In their minds, the eastern region is more important.
However, Wall's strategy is still exciting.
Especially President Davis, he hoped to end the war as soon as possible.
Wall's strategy of promoting peace through fighting was very much in line with his appetite.
Davis has not given up on trying to resolve issues between the North and South through the negotiating table.
In the end, they basically reached a consensus that the Kansas Army would lead the western offensive. After all, this army was hired by them, so even if it was lost, the impact would not be too great.
In addition, the Army of Arkansas and the Army of Tennessee were moved north to cooperate with the Army of Kansas.
In this way, the Western Front could organize a force of more than 100,000 people to launch an attack on the north in a short period of time.
Even if they can't win Illinois, they can still force Missouri and Kentucky to make a choice.
After all, these states were also slave states.
Another thing is that Davis finally decided to send Mallory to lead a team to France to contact the purchase of ironclads.
Originally they hoped to purchase it from the Great Empire, but at this time the Great Empire could no longer meet its own shipbuilding needs and simply would not accept orders from the Alliance.
They could only buy it from the French and Prussians.
Wall's joining brought two changes to the Confederate States in the Civil War. One was that they paid more attention to the battlefield on the Western Front, and the other was that the South increased its investment in the navy.
For the North, which has a profound cultural heritage, it is more beneficial to fight a protracted war, because without an industrial base, the South, which can only spend money to buy and buy, cannot afford it.
The South also has its own advantage, that is, it can use the large amount of cash in its hands and the opportunities it has to take the lead.
After a wave of explosive output, if the northern industry can be destroyed, then the advantage will be transferred to the south again.
This was the reason why Wall proposed attacking Chicago. At this time, the population of Chicago was close to one million, and more than half of the federal heavy industry was here.
If we can capture this place, it will threaten the entire Great Lakes region. Then even if it is a protracted war, the South should be able to cope with it.
…
…
Return to Dong Shuheng's study in the Summer Palace.
Jiang Yuqin introduced Millikin's recent situation to Dong Shuheng.
Including Wall's appointment as commander-in-chief of the Kansas Army.
Dong Shuheng nodded lightly, everything was still under his control.
He has already given orders to Liu Qingnan and Wang Yan, telling Jiahua not to make any changes for the time being. Let the North and the South start fighting first.
"President, there is news recently from the European Station of the Ministry of Intelligence that the French are operating in France and want to invest in the Suins Canal Company. They are preparing to speed up the construction of the Suins Canal. If that happens, they will go to the Indian Ocean
The distance at sea is much closer," Jiang Yuqin said.
This matter seems to be just a commercial activity, but in fact it is a major event of great military and political significance.
The French still had a strategic vision. Construction of the canal had already started, but under the leadership of the French, the construction progress of the canal was too slow.
Historically, the Suins Canal was built and opened to navigation in 1869. It is a waterway below sea level that runs through the Isthmus of Suins in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, and provides the shortest route from Europe to lands near the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.
It is one of the most frequently used routes in the world. It is also the junction between Asia and Africa and the main channel for people from Asia to Africa and Europe.
The canal starts from Port Said in the north to Suins City in the south, and tunnels into the Mediterranean Sea in the north of Port Said to the south of Suins.
The completion of the Suins Canal turned the African peninsula into the African continent, and Egypt's trade across Asia, Africa, Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa and Southern Europe became busier.
The Suins Canal was built on the isthmus, and the survey of the isthmus was carried out for the first time until France occupied Egypt, that is, from 1798 to 1801. Napoleon himself even studied the remains of the ancient canal.
When Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Egypt at the end of the 18th century, he planned to build a canal to connect the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
However, due to the incorrect survey results of the French, the sea level of the Red Sea was calculated to be higher than that of the Mediterranean Sea, which meant that it was impossible to build a canal without locks. Subsequently, Napoleon gave up the plan and left amid the confrontation with the French forces.
Egypt.
France rebuilt France's Second Colonial Empire after Napoleon's defeat. Because it lost its colonies in the Americas to the French, France focused on developing toward the east, and opening the Suins Canal was of even greater significance to France.
In 1854 and 1856, Viscount Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French consul in Egypt, obtained a charter from the Ottoman Governor-General of Egypt, Pasha Sayind.
The pasha authorized Lesseps to form a company and build a maritime canal open to ships of all nations according to plans drawn up by the Austrian engineer Alois Negrelli.
By leasing the relevant land, the company can operate the canal for 99 years from the time it opens to navigation.
On December 15, 1858, the Suins Canal Company was established. The work of forcing poor Egyptians to dig canals through the desert
Therefore, the French were not setting up a canal company at this time, they were just looking for French people to buy shares in the canal company.
Because the investment exceeded the budget by too much, the project has been progressing very slowly.
According to expectations, it will take eight or nine years to complete the project.
By that time, the Renaissance Army had already consolidated its position in the Indian Ocean.
"Don't worry, after the completion of this canal, the distance for people from China to come to us will be shortened, and the distance for us to Europe will also be shortened." Dong Shuheng said with a smile.
After listening to Dong Shuheng's words, Jiang Yuqin realized that he indeed lacked self-confidence.
So he said, "Yes, President, when they build it, they may find that they provide us with a back door into Europa."
Dong Shuheng continued: "However, if we want to use this gate, we have to find ourselves a gatekeeper's place in East Africa."
As he spoke, Dong Shuheng looked at the map of the family hanging on the wall, and his eyes fell on East Africa.