I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 140

Declaration of War

Mexico could never be a match for the rapidly growing United States.

This was a fact agreed upon by everyone in the United States, regardless of their stance on the war.

From its inception, the United States had fought against Great Britain, then the world’s most powerful empire.

They had recent experience fighting Great Britain and had steadily increased their combat experience by suppressing Native American tribes.

On the other hand, what about Mexico?

Although it had gained independence from Spain, it was an unstable country that had undergone several regime changes since then.

To make matters worse, the dictator Santa Anna, who had been ousted once, had returned to power, engaged in war with France, and depleted the national treasury.

Furthermore, they had failed to reclaim the Republic of Texas, which had declared independence and seceded.

Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that the pro-Union and pro-independence factions within the Republic of Texas were still evenly matched.

However, it was obvious which way this balance would tip over time, so Mexico had virtually no favorable circumstances.

President Tyler had reviewed a great deal of information and consulted with experts, and he was confident.

Once the war began, he would annex the Republic of Texas and immediately advance troops to the west and south.

After securing access to the Pacific Ocean, he would negotiate with Mexico to cede all the territory it had occupied so far to the United States at a bargain price.

Even if Mexico refused, it didn’t matter.

If Great Britain was brought in to exert pressure, Mexico would never be able to withstand it.

With not only the United States but also the prestige of Great Britain on their side, Mexico would feel even more threatened, and if things went well, the war could be ended on even better terms than initially expected.

If he could achieve victory under such conditions, it would be harder to lose the re-election, even without the party’s support.

Or, the Whig Party might even concede their errors and beg him to return.

However, Tyler’s pleasant fantasies did not last long.

“Great Britain is planning to move down from Oregon?”

“Yes. They plan to come down the Pacific coast as soon as the war starts.”

“Do they have that many troops?”

“Recently, many Canadian immigrants have been settling in Oregon. This is just my guess, but aren’t they pushing as many immigrants as possible into Oregon to strengthen their position in the territorial dispute with us?”

“I see… That’s certainly a plausible theory.”

After receiving the ambassador’s report from Kingston, Tyler had a feeling that his initial plan to involve Great Britain could be a huge mistake.

‘Come to think of it, the territorial dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Territory hasn’t been settled yet. Are they planning to seize Oregon, using this war as an opportunity?’

The Oregon Territory, which borders the Pacific Ocean, had historically been a contentious area where four countries—Great Britain, the United States, Spain, and Russia—had claimed ownership.

As the debate continued, Spain and Russia relinquished their claims, but the United States and Great Britain remained fiercely opposed.

The territorial dividing line claimed by Great Britain was the 49th parallel [49°N latitude].

This meant that Britain would take all the land up to the border with Mexico, while the United States insisted on the 54th parallel [54°N latitude], claiming that everything up to the border with Alaska was American territory.

As the conflict escalated, the slogan “54-40 or fight!” began to circulate domestically [referring to the 54°40′ parallel, the desired northern boundary of the US in the Oregon Territory].

However, from Tyler’s point of view, it didn’t seem worth it to wage another war with Great Britain just to occupy that land.

In addition, Russia recently sold Alaska to Great Britain, and Great Britain naturally secured the entire Pacific region, so the claim lost its power.

Moreover, now that they had given Great Britain too much justification, they inevitably had to be mindful of them.

If they came on too strong here, Great Britain might side with Mexico and put pressure on them.

“Wait. What if we pretend we can’t win and let them have the Oregon Territory, and we completely take all the western territory that Mexico has? If we concede the Oregon Territory dispute to Great Britain to smooth things over, and we take all the remaining territory of Mexico, I don’t think they will strongly oppose it.”

“That would be ideal, but I think Great Britain probably considers it their natural right to occupy Oregon. You can see that just by the fact that they are openly encouraging immigration.”

“If a war breaks out with us because of that, it would be just as troublesome for them… Ah, they have already finished calculating because they have gained justification from this incident and we are in conflict with Mexico.”

It was a petty but effective tactic that could not be denied.

What could they do? No matter how much they struggled, it didn’t make sense to wage a two-front war against Great Britain and Mexico.

Then, the only remaining option was:

“While the British are occupied in Oregon, let’s quickly push into Mexico and plant our flag in the West. Then, Great Britain won’t be able to move south anymore.”

If they rushed to the West faster than the other side moved south, that was all they needed to do.

To do this, it was necessary to quickly form an army and strike decisively.

Having made up his mind, Tyler immediately decided to request a declaration of war from Congress.

Initially, he had planned to wait for Mexico’s response, but since they would obviously deny it, there was no need to waste time.

The opposition, led by Lincoln, vehemently opposed the President’s message delivered to the Senate and the House of Representatives, but the momentum was already in favor of war.

[War exists, and despite the numerous efforts of the United States to avoid it, Mexico has ultimately made the worst choice. Mexico’s scheme to undermine the friendly relations between Great Britain and the United States is no different from an act of aggression, and they must pay the price.]

It was an absurd logic that this war was caused by Mexico, not the United States, but that’s how declarations of war usually are.

There were many controversies, but Congress eventually passed the resolution with an overwhelming majority, judging that it was best to deal with the war quickly if they were going to fight it anyway.

45 to 7 in the Senate, 198 to 25 in the House.

“Let’s protect the United States from the threat of Mexico!”

A slogan like a dark joke echoed throughout the United States, signaling the start of the war.

November 13, 1842.

The United States of America formally declared war on Mexico.

The Mexican-American War had begun.

* * *

Inside a luxurious hotel in Washington D.C.

James, who had returned to the United States, reunited with his cherished subordinate after a long time.

“How have you been?”

“I’m always busy with similar tasks. You must be busier than I am, sir. Have you been healthy?”

Allan Pinkerton.

He was a low-level branch manager who had been selected as the next corporate workhorse to be exploited by Killian along with him, but so far, he looked to be in good shape.

As expected, when you are young, you have plenty of energy, so you can endure almost anything.

There was a time when he was so energetic just five years ago.

“Thanks to your recommendation, I was able to serve him closely. I find every day incredibly rewarding. It’s all thanks to you, sir.”

“…Every day is rewarding?”

“Yes. Isn’t the task I’m in charge of right now a momentous one that can determine the future of this continent? If you are born a man, you want to play a role in something this significant at least once.”

“Yes, yes. I’m glad it suits you.”

It’s fine once or twice, but if you keep swimming in a big pond, you’ll just get exhausted and sink.

Anyway, since he likes it so much, he doesn’t have to feel guilty even if he passes on a few more tasks he is in charge of in the United States.

This was only to fulfill the dream of a subordinate who was born a man and burning with ambition, and there was no other intention.

However, that was only until the current mission was over, and he had to faithfully fulfill the role given to him by Killian.

The two men laughed and entered the pre-arranged luxury hotel room.

And the moment the door closed, the two men wiped the smiles off their faces and sat down at a large round table.

“As expected, the United States Congress passed the war resolution with an overwhelming vote.”

“That’s exactly what His Highness predicted. Then, we should see the situation unfold as he foresaw.”

“Yes. The reason I came down in a hurry is because His Highness predicted that the United States would declare war immediately.”

“What is your mission? I only heard that I should cooperate if there is anything I can help with. Are you planning to proceed with the same thing as me?”

“The big picture will be similar, but the specifics will probably be different. I think I will focus more on fostering anti-war sentiment in the North.”

“If Mexico had been a slightly more stable country, we wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble.”

Pinkerton nodded with a bitter smile.

“There’s nothing we can do. At first, I thought it would be enough to just leak information about the United States military’s movements in advance, but I heard that it’s not enough.”

“Lacking power is a sin now as it was then. If Mexico wasn’t an opponent that the United States could easily defeat, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

It’s a bitter truth, but the international community is like a jungle where only the strong survive, and lacking power there means that you are no different from a herbivore that can be eaten by a predator at any time.

Mexico really didn’t do anything to warrant this situation, but they became the scapegoat, but what could they do?

No matter how unfairly a deer next to a hungry lion complains, no one listens.

“That’s why His Highness is trying to make Canada stronger than any other country. Looking at these guys from here, they are acting aggressively. If they increase their national power later, they will definitely turn their guns on Canada, regardless of Great Britain.”

“I don’t think they would go that far, but seeing them declare war on Mexico now, you may be right. But not everyone in this country is acting so recklessly. If that were the case, what we are doing now wouldn’t have any effect.”

“That’s right. His Highness also highly valued young and progressive lawmakers like Lincoln. But even so, their influence is too weak.”

“So, aren’t we helping those people build their strength?”

Their leader’s judgment was that it was useless to support Mexico in the war between the United States and Mexico.

No matter how much water you pour into a broken pot, it will only leak out.

Supporting a place like Mexico, where it is a miracle that it is even maintaining its country, is only enough to help it endure a month or two longer than it would collapse in half a year.

Then, what should they do to create a situation where this war lasts even a little longer?

The answer was surprisingly simple.

“Most of the troops who will go to war with Mexico will be drawn from the Southern militia or state guards.”

“It’s only natural since the federal standing army will be no more than 10,000. Then, there will be a considerable vulnerability in the South’s security.”

“Yes. The timing is a little earlier than expected, but the preparations are almost complete. The rest depends on what you do, sir.”

“I thought the war would break out around next year or the year after, so it was a little tight to meet the deadline, but I don’t think there will be a problem even if it breaks out now. Even if I don’t do anything more, it is said that there is already a fairly strong network among the slaves in the South.”

Although they were trained in a hurry, the number of black individuals who were trained in Canada and returned to the South with the belief that they would liberate their people was by no means small.

If they all take action at once, the South, which has sent a considerable number of militia to the war, will inevitably fall into chaos.

Of course, if they only cause escapes and riots, it will only be a brief disturbance and will be quickly suppressed, but there was one more hidden card on this side.

“Then, I will time it to reveal clear evidence that Hound, who infiltrated Canada, did not receive money from Mexico.”

This war is a clear war of aggression planned by the South and the President who sides with the South to shift all responsibility to the innocent Mexican side in order to expand slavery.

The battle has already begun, but in the main camp, slaves are escaping and causing riots, and in the North, which should be taking care of the aftermath, the ugly truth of this war is being exposed?

In this state, can the United States military repel the evil Mexican invaders and advance to the West?

Only God knows the future, but James somehow felt that he could foresee it now.