Chapter 503: Don’t Be Too Cautious when You Win a Small Victory

This scene made Elliot feel mixed emotions. In the pouring rain, the soldiers of the Arizona Regiment standing like sculptures on the border destroyed Elliot's last confidence and pride.

The discipline and military quality shown by these Western Brigade soldiers on the border line of 49° north latitude were no worse than those of the British regular army.

What's more terrifying is that the Arizona Regiment is not the most elite unit in the Western Brigade. The most elite infantry unit in the Western Brigade is the prestigious California Infantry Regiment.

In other words, Liang Yao was able to put such great pressure on him before he showed his trump card.

In this situation, revising the treaty to clarify the border line is actually a good thing for British Columbia.

The power competition here is no longer about Britain being strong and the United States being weak, but about the United States being strong and Britain being weak.

On September 5, 1856, the British representative Elliot and the American representatives Liang Yao and Ge Wen revised the "Oregon Treaty Revision" in Liang Yao City, which clarified the border line between Britain and the United States.

The main contents are as follows:

First, the mainland region maintains the border line of 49°N, and residents of both sides are not allowed to cross the border to settle without permission. If anyone violates the law, he will be punished according to local laws.

Second, on the issue of the border of the island area, the United States respects the sovereignty of the British side on Vancouver Island. The British side also respects the sovereignty of the United States over the San Juan Islands, May Island, North Pender Island, South Pender Island and Saturna Island, but the United States needs to pay 50,000 pounds (3.33 million US dollars) to the British side within one year as the cost of purchasing the island.

Third, the waterways in the area south of 59°N are used by both sides, and neither side may occupy the waterways under any pretext.

Fourth, free trade is allowed in the surrounding areas of Liangyao City and the Vancouver Plains.

Fifth, the British Columbia government needs to pay a fine of 250,000 pounds for the residents who illegally crossed the border and settled in Britain and France before. After the British side pays the fine, the United States will repatriate all British illegal cross-border settlers.

Compared with the unequal treaties signed by Liang Yao before, such as the Treaty of Nagasaki, the Treaty of Edo, and the Treaty of Batavia, the Oregon Treaty Amendment can be said to be an equal treaty for both parties.

After all, the previous three treaties were signed by coercing the other party to sign by means of war, and this time the treaty was amended without direct military conflict between Britain and the United States. 彽

Furthermore, it is still quite difficult to force Victorian Britain to sign an unequal treaty.

Liang Yao has maximized his own interests within his ability.

The greatest significance of the Oregon Treaty Amendment to the United States is not how much advantage it has taken, but that it has clarified the local border between Britain and the United States in the form of a treaty, creating a good and stable external environment for the development of Liangyao City and surrounding areas.

From this point of view, Liang Yao has won.

Of course, it is not that he has not taken advantage.

Before the amendment, Liang Yao's bottom line was to maintain the US-Canada border in the future.

Through this treaty revision, Liang Yao not only maintained his bottom line, but also gained four additional islands, Mayne Island, North Pender Island, South Pender Island and Saturna Island, pushing the maritime border to the British side.

"Four islands are priced at 50,000 pounds. Is Elliot so short of money?"

After the treaty was signed and Elliot left, Ge Wen couldn't help but complain.

"If it was Vancouver Island, Congress might pay the 240,000 US dollars, but for these four small islands that they don't even know where they are, I don't think it's hopeful to ask them to pay the money within a year."

The treaty stipulates that the United States needs to pay 50,000 pounds (3.33 million US dollars) to the British side as the cost of purchasing the islands within one year.

The key point is that it is within one year. Ge Wen has been a member of Congress for so long, and he knows the nature of members of Congress when it comes to money.

Paying 240,000 US dollars for four small islands will definitely not be negotiated within a year.

Although Liang Yao rarely went to the Congress in Washington, he knew a thing or two about this situation. In history, the United States spent only 7.2 million US dollars to purchase Alaska, which covers an area of ​​​​80,000 square kilometers. 彽

Later generations believed that the United States had taken advantage of the territorial transaction and picked up a big bargain at an average price of two cents per acre. Of course, this is indeed the case.

But the Americans at that time did not think so. They thought they were suckers who spent 7.2 million US dollars to buy such a big ice lump as Alaska.

Compared with the Louisiana area bought from the French for 15 million US dollars, this deal was a huge loss.

After the Alaska purchase was passed by the Senate, it was rejected several times by the House of Representatives and refused to approve the funds.

In the end, it was the then Secretary of State Seward who spent a year and a half to persuade the opposing members of the House of Representatives one by one, and the bill was finally passed.

In his later years, Seward recalled that buying Alaska was the most important and correct decision in his life, but few people could really understand him. It took a generation for America to understand the benefits of this deal.

Of course, in fact, the Tsarist Russia also exchanged the undefendable territory for a huge sum of 7.2 million US dollars, and it did not lose money. The Tsarist Russia later used the 7.2 million US dollars to buy railway bonds of Western European companies and It took decades of interest to rebuild its army. This territorial transaction was also profitable for them.

Therefore, the Alaska transaction was a win-win deal for both the United States and Russia.

So if someone wins, is there any country that loses?

The answer is of course yes, and the country that lost is the Qing Dynasty.

The Russians, who are greedy for territory, will naturally make up for the losses they suffered at the hands of Western powers through other places.

After the Crimean War, Tsarist Russia continued to encroach on China's territory with this idea.

From another perspective, the amount of territory that Tsarist Russia took from China in modern times can also be used as a unit of measurement for how much they suffered at the hands of Western powers.

"Then we will pay for it ourselves first!" Liang Yao said, "After deducting the fine of 250,000 pounds for the British, the cost we actually need to pay for these four islands is not 5 pounds, but only 750,000 pounds."

750,000 pounds to buy four islands and push the border forward is a sure-win business. If the British are willing, Liang Yao would like to buy the entire Vancouver Island, or even the entire British Columbia, and monopolize the entire northeastern Pacific Ocean.

Liang Yao is also worried that the British will go back on their word. Even if California pays first, he will pay the money first to make the treaty effective and create a fait accompli.

"I always feel that we have mobilized so many troops and only gained such a small advantage, which is not enough." Ge Wen said with some regret.

"Don't be timid because a small win is still a win, and taking a small advantage is also taking an advantage." Liang Yao smiled, "Besides, we are taking advantage of the stingy British."

"Sir, since the treaty has been signed, should the Arizona Regiment continue to stay at the border or return to Portland?" Kruger, the commander of the Oregon Infantry Regiment, asked, and he did not forget to add one sentence.

"The soldiers have been caught in heavy rain for several days, and many of them have contracted diseases. They are all holding on at the border with one breath."

"Before the cavalry regiment was formed, the Arizona Regiment stayed in Liangyao City to maintain local order to prevent accidents." Liang Yao patted Kruger on the shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work. The Arizona Regiment has made great contributions to the British being able to bow their heads this time. The Arizona Regiment will pay each person two months' salary this year as a subsidy for this operation."

"Yes, General!" Kruger happily saluted Liang Yao and left happily.

He can give an explanation to the soldiers when he returns by paying two months' salary this year.

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"I don't quite understand my brother-in-law's operation. He sold the railway company's bonds while letting the Atlantic Railway Company take over the Gard Railway project. I don't understand what he is up to?"

In the Vanderbilt family's estate on the banks of the Hudson River in New York, William, the eldest son of the Vanderbilt family, was puzzled by Liang Yao's recent actions.

After withdrawing funds from the shipping industry and investing in the railway industry, the Vanderbilt family became the largest iron warehouse tycoon in the United States after five years.

Unlike Liang Yao, Liang Yao's business is very extensive, and railways are just one of the businesses of the American Group.

The Vanderbilt family is dedicated to the railway industry. For a railway giant with assets of tens of millions of dollars, any disturbance in the iron warehouse industry will have a great impact on them.

Therefore, the Vanderbilt family is extremely sensitive to minor changes in the railway industry, not to mention Liang Yao's behavior of selling railway bonds on Wall Street.

"Don't you understand whether he is pessimistic or optimistic about the prospects of the domestic railway industry?" Vanderbilt pointed to his head and said.

"William, you have to learn to analyze and learn to speak from data."

"Father, I have analyzed it. Although my brother-in-law's behavior caused the stock prices of major railway companies to fall at the beginning of the bond selling, a week later, the stock prices of railway companies all rebounded, so I am very confused." William was still puzzled.

"The public reports of major railway companies are also very good. It seems unnecessary for my brother-in-law to sell off the railway company bonds they hold on a large scale at this time."

"The rebound in stock prices shows that the railway company bonds sold by Liang Yao were not smashed in his hands, but were sold out." Vanderbilt said.

"This is exactly his brilliance. He is always one step ahead. If he sells these bonds before and after the crisis breaks out, do you think anyone will take over these bonds? As for the public reports of railway companies, do you believe them?"

"You can't believe them all." William answered without thinking.

Not to mention other railway companies, even the railway industry giants like their Central Railway Company, in order to raise more funds from the Wall Street stock market and obtain financial subsidies from local governments, will make the public reports as good as possible.

This is already a customary rule in all railway circles in the United States. Only the core members of the railway company know how credible the public reports are. The real information is internal information, and the public is euphemistically called commercial secrets. Every railway company is very secretive.

"When looking at the data, you can't just look at the data of the railway company industry." Vanderbilt analyzed calmly.

"There are more than 70 medium-sized and large railway companies backed by local governments issuing stocks on Wall Street, and nearly 200 fake railway companies. I have sent people to investigate these railway companies. Although they raise funds on Wall Street and publish the progress of railway construction on time every month, in fact, many so-called railway companies have not built even one mile of railway.

In addition, there are more than 800 bank stocks and more than 70 insurance company stocks trading on Wall Street, more than 300 company bonds, local government bonds, and even federal bonds government trading on Wall Street.彽

More than two-thirds of these bonds are centered around the railway industry."

Vanderbilt's meaning was very clear. From 1850 to 1856, the railway mileage in the United States increased by at least 20,000 miles.

In 1850, the railway mileage in the United States was only about 9,000 miles.

The rapid growth of the American economy in the past six years was largely driven by the railway industry.

In six years, the railway mileage was twice that of the previous twenty years. How big is the bubble in the railway industry and how much speculative capital is involved in it? Perhaps only God knows.

Knowing these data, William couldn't help but take a breath and felt a chill on his back: "Are we heading towards the abyss?"