In the afternoon of that day, Li Zhen saw off Zuo Zongtang, Rong Hong, Fang Su, Zeng Jize, Zeng Jihong, Zuo Xiaowei and others, and then took Liu Jintang, Chen Yucheng and two hundred soldiers from the Sharp Knife Battalion to follow Lincoln and Xihua Together, Germany and Germany took the train toward Washington, and it didn't take long to get back to Washington.
Lincoln didn't have time to rest and immediately held a meeting.
White House, Presidential Palace.
In the hall, the lights are bright.
At this time, the White House gathered all the important officials of the U.S. federal government, including President Lincoln, Secretary of State Seward, and important officials from the military and political circles such as the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the Interior, etc., all participating. At the same time, , Li Zhen, Liu Jintang, Chen Yucheng and Huang Qiang also attended the meeting.
Compared with Li Zhen and the people he brought, the military and political officials of the American Federation are all over forty years old, and there is even an old man in his seventies. These people are quite rich in experience and experience. , but the people around Li Zhen are all under forty years old, and there is even Liu Jintang, who is under twenty years old, which is undoubtedly a big contrast to the major generals of the American Federation.
As a result, when many generals of the American Federation looked at Liu Jintang and Chen Yucheng, they had contempt on their faces and did not take them seriously. Prior to this, Colonel Grant's failure at West Point had been criticized by many military generals. know.
For this reason, Grant was ridiculed by countless people.
It's embarrassing to lose to a child.
In the eyes of these generals, Li Zhen, a man who has experienced hundreds of battles, can still be said to be a qualified commander. However, the people around Li Zhen do not look like leaders at all, but like book boys who follow Li Zhen. .
Li Zhen didn't pay attention to the looks in these people's eyes.
Liu Jintang and Chen Yucheng also smiled and sat quietly.
This indifference surpasses that of many people.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Lincoln took the lead to break the deadlock, pointed at Li Zhen, and introduced with a smile: "Gentlemen, let me introduce to you today's guest. This is President Li from China. He has experienced many battles." , must win every battle, and has very rich experience. This time, President Lee was invited to serve as a military advisor for the war to help us with our staff and the southern war."
Li Zhen smiled slightly and nodded in greeting.
Lincoln pointed at Liu Jintang and Chen Yucheng again and introduced: "These two are Brigadier Liu Jintang and Brigadier Chen Yucheng. They are both battle-hardened veterans. Although they are young, they are capable generals under President Lee. They have combat experience." Extremely rich.”
"Xiaojiang, hey, I think he's a young general, he's a junior."
Among the generals, a middle-aged man spoke.
This man was about forty years old, with splayed eyebrows, a hooked nose, and thin lips, exuding a fierce aura.
His face has an aggressive tangerine look to it.
Lincoln frowned and said seriously: "Brigadier General McDowell, please respect the people I invited. The commanding abilities of Brigadier Liu and Brigadier Chen have been recognized by Colonel Grant. Please don't judge people by their appearance."
Immediately, Lincoln gave Li Zhen just the middle-aged man.
This man's name is Owen McDowell, a brigadier general and a graduate of West Point Military Academy.
Li Zhen suddenly realized why McDowell was full of thorns.
The reason must be that Liu Jintang and Chen Yucheng lost face at West Point Military Academy, and McDowell, a West Point student, felt that his face was disgraced. Li Zhen smiled, did not get angry, and did not express an opinion.
McDowell snorted and turned his head away.
Grant glared at McDowell, changed the subject, and asked: "President Lee, the North-South War has begun. At this stage, states in the south are gaining independence one after another, and the situation is very unfavorable to us. What does President Lee have to say about this?" What’s your opinion?”
As soon as he spoke, he immediately brought the topic to the main topic.
Li Zhen smiled and said: "Please tell Colonel Grant the current details."
"good."
Grant respected Li Zhen very much and explained the current situation carefully.
It took Grant half an hour to finish speaking.
Li Zhen already had some thoughts in his mind, waved his hand and said, "Bring the map over here."
After a while, the attendant brought a map and placed it on the conference table. Li Zhen stood up, stared at the map for a long time, and then said in a deep voice: "I think that although the South is arrogant and well-prepared, in real comparison, the South It's gold and jade with crumbs on the outside. It looks very powerful, but in fact it's a paper tiger that can be broken by a poke and cannot pose a substantial threat to the north."
McDowell frowned and said, "It's so simple. It's a bunch of nonsense."
Li Zhen raised a sneer on his lips and continued: "Compared to the South and the North, the South's industrial base is very low. Most of them are crops. They have to make money by selling tobacco and cotton. Once the South is blocked, the South will seem to be strangled. People with necks will immediately face difficulties. At the same time, the industry in the south is underdeveloped, and military equipment is all purchased, which is not as self-sufficient as the north. I think that in order to conquer the south, we should start with both military and economic measures to achieve the final victory. victory."
Lincoln's eyes flashed and he nodded repeatedly.
The experts took action, and it was indeed extraordinary.
"President Li, how do you implement the economic and military strategies you mentioned?" asked an old man in his seventies sitting in the back. The old man was sitting upright, with his body upright, like a pine tree. , he has a resolute face, and although his face is already covered with weathered color, his eyes are shining with wisdom, giving people the feeling of a wise man.
The magnanimity displayed is very extraordinary.
Who is this person?
Li Zhen muttered in his heart and kept the old man in mind.
Li Zhenxuan said: "The economic blockade is mainly based on the sea. It mainly targets important ports in the south. It obtains control of the sea and curbs the export of cotton, tobacco and other goods in the south. It paralyzes the southern economy. After blocking the ports, it also prohibits The South sought support from Britain, France and other countries, gradually strangling the South's economy and weakening its strength."
"Military, land battlefields are the main ones. The battlefields in the southern slave states use the Mississippi River Basin as the dividing line to divide the South into east and west battlefields. Troops are dispatched respectively to put pressure on the south from the east and west battlefields and gradually occupy the southern territory. As long as the South is cut into two parts, it will be difficult for the South's army to take care of its head and tail. Coupled with the economic pressure, the South will be defeated."
Li Zhenkan spoke very easily: "With regard to the dual control of economy and military, the South is like a grasshopper after the autumn. It won't be able to jump around for long. The final victory must belong to the North. According to China, the battle must involve The weather, the right location, the right people, in my opinion, the north can have all of these, it depends on how Mr. President and the generals participating in the war decide."
After listening to Li Zhen's words, the old man had a smile on his face and looked very happy.
Lincoln looked unhappy and seemed to be embarrassed.
McDowell chuckled and said: "President Lee's idea is very similar to the plan of former army commander Winfield Scott. Unfortunately, according to President Lee's plan, we have to slowly occupy various ports, etc. It takes too long, and this plan has been rejected by Congress, so it is impossible to implement it."
After a pause, McDowell continued: "As President Lee said, the North has a strong economic foundation, strong industrial advantages, and the support of the people. Since we have so many advantages, why not attack the South directly? As for the seat of government, after capturing it, the southern government will win in one fell swoop."
Li Zhen ignored McDowell and instead asked: "Mr. President, who is Mr. Scott?"
Lincoln pointed at the old man and replied: "He is the former commander, Sir Scott, who has now retired. Because this war is very complicated, he invited Sir Scott to come as a staff officer."
Li Zhen nodded in greeting.
McDowell showed his sharp edge and said loudly: "Sir Scott made great contributions in the American-Mexican War and is a national hero. However, he is old, has lost his spirit, and has no courage to fight. He is not worth mentioning."
When Scott heard this, he sighed lightly.
Li Zhen saw Scott's expression in his eyes. He glanced at the many generals around him and found that these generals all had the same expression on their faces. They all looked at Scott with contempt in their eyes.