Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 335: The Turning Point

After a year of civil war, the federal government suffered casualties of over two hundred thousand, and the brutal losses fueled a growing sense of war weariness among the soldiers.

This was not an external invasion but an internal conflict. The patriotic fervor that had been stirred up had long been worn down in the fires of battle.

It wasnt just the western states that failed to meet their recruitment quotas; even the core states of the federal government faced difficulties in recruiting.

As of now, the total military strength of the federal government has surpassed 1.1 million, yet it still isnt enough.

The warring states, or federal states near the frontlines, prioritized ensuring their own safety first, making battlefield coordination difficult and preventing them from leveraging their numerical advantage.

These issues are unsolvable dilemmas. State officials are elected, and if they cant guarantee the safety of their own state, the voters will kick them out.

Talking about the bigger picture is easy for those who arent directly affected. When it comes to personal interests, whether its the capitalists, politicians, or the public, everyone chooses whats best for themselves.

Secretary of State Seward rushed into the presidents office and said, Mr. President, we have a major problem. Illinois just sent another plea for reinforcements. Theyre threatening to withdraw from the war if the federal government doesnt send help.

Withdraw from the war? There is no doubt that the federal states would dare to be so reckless. To prevent their homeland from turning into ruins, surrendering is an option, let alone withdrawing from the war.

Anyway, this is a civil war, not a war of annihilation. Once Illinois announced its withdrawal from the war, the South wouldnt launch any more attacks against them.

The downside was that the federal government would be doomed. If one state took the lead, a chain reaction could easily follow.

Capitalists want markets and cheap raw materials, thats true, but not at the cost of their own interests. If their industries are on the front lines and the enemy breaches their defenses, compromise might be the only option.

They cant sacrifice their family legacy for the sake of class interests, right? And these losses, the federal government cant possibly compensate for them.

Upon hearing this news, Lincoln was so infuriated that he threw the document in his hand and cursed loudly, Those bastards are actually threatening us!

Then, much to his regret, he found himself having to accept this threat.

Nearly all of Maryland and Ohio had fallen, Indiana was reduced to just a few pockets of resistance, and Kansas had lost a third of its territory. If Illinois were to withdraw from the war as well, the numerical advantage of the Union would vanish, and they would be strategically on the defensive.

After a moment of silence, Lincoln spoke slowly, saying, Ive decided to immediately implement the Homestead Act, to win over the people who desire land.

Secretary of State Seward responded coldly, Are you sure youve thought this through and its not just a momentary impulse? Once you take this step, theres no turning back.

Lincoln spoke with determination, At this stage, if we cant win this war, my fate might be even worse! So why not take a gamble? Besides implementing the Homestead Act, I cant think of any other way to solve the problem of inadequate manpower.

Just look at the Austrians, he continued, In just a year, theyve managed to entice two hundred thousand immigrants away from our shores. Its almost catching up to our annual immigration from Europe.

Of course, we cant burn all the bridges. We need to leave them a back door in case they become desperate.

Secretary of State Seward nodded in agreement. They were both in this together, and there was no escaping it. Of course, he wasnt the president, so he wouldnt suffer as much blame.

Under the pressure of the war, on May 1, 1862, Lincoln issued the Homestead Act, resolving the Unions manpower shortage dilemma.

The Homestead Act stipulated: Every head of a family or person over the age of 21, who has never engaged in rebellion against the United States, upon swearing to obtain the land for the purpose of cultivation and paying a fee of ten dollars, may register to receive up to 160 acres of land (1 acre = 0.4 hectare). After residing on and cultivating the land for five years, the registrant could obtain a land patent and become the owner of the homestead.

The Homestead Act also included a provision for compensation, stating that if the registrant applied for preferential purchase, they could buy the land for $1.25 per acre after six months.

The preceding content was primarily aimed at enticing individuals desiring land ownership. Though not explicitly stated, it resembled a variation of the practice of granting land as military rewards.

To pledge allegiance to the federal government, individuals were required to serve in the military. This also included the sentiments of the populace in Southern states; proving loyalty to the federal government was as simple as taking up arms against the rebels.

The federal governments practice of using land to recruit people to fight undoubtedly harmed the interests of the land speculators.

The subsequent compensation provision was the back door left for them. However, due to the limitations of time and the quantity of land registration per person, the operation became more difficult.

Historically hailed as a turning point, the Homestead Act naturally had a significant effect. The enlistment points, which everyone had previously avoided, now saw long queues once again.

In comparison to the armys shortcomings, the achievements made by the federal government in the navy are much greater. Of course, with the Confederate government controlling hundreds of ports in its territory, it was naturally impossible for the federal government to blockade them all.

However, they still performed quite well. In 1861, approximately ten percent of the vessels heading to Confederate ports were intercepted.

Dont think of this percentage as small; in reality, achieving this with the strength of the United States Navy is already quite difficult.

The interventionist Royal Navy often lurks around. Many times, during cotton shipments, British fleets are watching the federal navy closely nearby.

The issue isnt about whether they can win a fight but rather that they simply cant fight at all. The agreement among Britain, France, Austria, and Spain on intervening in the American Civil War has been reached. Once the war breaks out, it would be four against one.

Each country now lacks only a pretext to intervene in the civil war. In this context, the achievements of the federal navy are already quite remarkable.

To break the blockade, the Confederate government also established a navy. Due to the vast difference in the number of warships between the two sides, the Confederacy secretly constructed ironclad warships, while at the same time, the Union was also building them.

In March 1862, naval forces from both the North and South engaged in a fierce battle at Hampton Roads, marking the beginning of the ironclad warship warfare.

Unfortunately, American naval artillery technology was not very advanced. The Confederate vessel Merrimack and the Union vessel Monitor engaged in a standoff without either side achieving any significant results.

Against this backdrop, at the end of May 1862, the Austrian ocean fleet visited the Confederate government.

Count Hmmel and President Jefferson Davis engaged in friendly discussions and reached an agreement to strengthen bilateral trade cooperation, primarily focusing on labor export services.

On June 7, 1862, the two parties signed the Labor Importation Treaty, which stipulated that over the next ten years, the Confederate government would import three million laborers from Austrian colonial territories. The Southern government would bear all immigration expenses and pay Austria 60 guilders per person for the immigration fee.

Without a doubt, this is a lucrative deal. The prerequisite is for the Confederacy to win the war to fulfill the treaty.

To court Austria, the Confederate government spared no expense.

It was a decision enforced through strength of arms. The Austrian ocean fleet may number just over seventy ships, but among them sail five ironclads, making it currently the most formidable fleet on the East Coast.

Count Hmmel proposed, Mr. President, I believe you need a strong navy to suppress the Unions fleet and ensure smooth overseas trade.

He was not the first to sell them warships. Major European naval powers have all offered warships to the Confederacy, and the Confederate government has indeed ordered many. Unfortunately, distant waters cannot quench nearby thirst.

Jefferson Davis replied lacklusterly, Yes, Count, we have indeed ordered many warships from Europe, but they will not arrive in the short term.

Count Hmmel smiled slightly: Mr. President, you need ready-made vessels, orders take too long. Battlefield conditions change constantly, time is life itself.

If your countrys navy had the upper hand now, perhaps this war would already be over. If you were to blockade the overseas trade of the New England states, the Union government would have no choice but to compromise.

President Jefferson Davis eyes lit up at Hmmels implication, and he asked incredulously, Is your country willing to sell this fleet?

Count Hmmel replied affirmatively, Under normal circumstances, we would not sell active equipment, but exceptions can be made for friends.

After some consideration, President Jefferson Davis said cautiously, Count, please name your price. We will not let our friends suffer losses!

There was no choice; even if he knew he would be fleeced, he had to ask. Even if the price was high, it would not compare to the losses incurred from ships intercepted by the Union.

On the surface, it may seem that these ship losses belong to the capitalists, but in reality, its the Confederate government that bears the burden. The blockade by the Union government has raised prices in Confederate states and restricted commodity exports.

The most typical scenario is that merchant ships, to ensure sufficient speed to escape pursuit by the Union Navy, have to leave a large amount of cargo space empty. When encountering the Union Navy, they often have to dump their cargo into the sea to reduce weight and increase speed.

Count Hmmel quoted: 46 million guilders for the ocean fleet as a package deal, with enough ammunition for three major battles thrown in plus free training services.

This is clearly an exorbitant price. 46 million guilders is equivalent to about 23 million pounds. If we only calculate the cost of shipbuilding, it could build a Royal Navy.

However, even doubling that amount wouldnt be enough to buy a Royal Navy. Building a Royal Navy from scratch would cost at least 100 million pounds.

The Royal Navys dominance in the world is not solely reliant on warships; it also involves a series of supporting facilities, a vast industrial chain, and well-trained soldiers.

None of these are possessed by the Confederate government, and likewise, the Union government lacks them as well. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, the US Navy had no more than ten thousand personnel. Currently, the Confederate governments navy consists mainly of retired personnel and merchant sailors.

It can be said that the quality of naval officers and soldiers on both sides of the North and South are among the best in the world if they were to be ranked in reverse.

Jefferson Davis thought for a moment and said, Count, your offer is too high. How about this: we hire the ocean fleet for combat. As long as we can suppress the Union Navy in the ports, we will pay a commission of 46 million guilders.

Count Hmmel shook his head. He didnt dare to take such a deal. Although it might be easy to suppress the Union Navy in the short term, in reality, the major shipyards of the Union government were producing ships at a rapid pace. As time goes on, the size of the Union fleet will only increase.

If the Confederacy could not win within a year, the balance would shift. Even relying just on numbers, the North would gain the upper hand eventually.

Hoping to eliminate the enemy in naval battles is just wishful thinking. If the enemy were to lose, couldnt they just escape? Once the enemy goes inside the port with coastal artillery covering them, they would be helpless.

If the Confederacy is willing to hand over command of the army to Austria, then there is still some hope. At worst, they can land from Canada and attack the Great Lakes region.

The British probably wouldnt mind turning a blind eye. After all, John Bull is shameless and can play rogue.

Sorry, we are a neutral country and cannot participate in the war.

Jefferson Davis was about to roll his eyes. Which neutral country sells weapons so blatantly? Apart from not personally entering the battlefield, everything else that can be done and cannot be done, theyve already done it.

Those sarcastic remarks are best left unspoken. Saying them out loud might sour relations with Austria. Anyway, Austria is still supporting them, so they can be considered half-allies.

25 million guilders. At this price, you can at least double your profit.

This is Jefferson Davis estimate based on the Southern shipyards factory price, assuming the capitalists profit and adding the cost of ocean transportation.

Hmmel calculated and said: Mr. President, in normal times that price could perhaps be discussed, but these are extraordinary circumstances requiring over double the profit margin to avoid a loss.

On July 1, 1862, Austria signed a military procurement agreement with Nicaragua, selling the ocean fleet for 38 million guilders to the Nicaraguan government.

The news caused a stir throughout the Americas. Many were surprised: Did Nicaragua have the money to buy an ocean fleet?

Before everyone could recover from the shock, on July 5, 1862, the Nicaraguan government resold the giant fleet to the Confederacy for the same price.

Of course, it was only possible to sell at such a high price as the result of Count Hmmel agreeing to accept half the payment in bonds. The Confederate government spared no effort to bind Austria.

The news had not yet reached Vienna, but Austrias shipyards were already bustling.

Out with the old, in with the new. Since the ships were to be sold, Franz couldnt leave the Austrian navy without vessels. Naturally, new ships had to be built.

Interfering in the American Civil War in the future would still require a navy, and overseas colonization would also depend on it. By the time news of the transaction reached Europe, the new ships would likely be ready for service.