Chapter 596: The Interests of the Federation Are Above All Else

Chapter 589 The interests of the Federation are above all else

"I have an idea." Secretary of War Scott spoke again to break the silence.

"Scott, what good ideas do you have?" Everyone looked at Scott in unison.

The looks they gave Scott were very complicated, some were expectant, and some were hopeless.

In the eyes of most politicians in the office, the problems in the West were no easier to solve than the problems between the north and south in the East. It was a dead end. The initiative was mainly in the hands of the West. The West could flexibly adjust its attitude towards the federal government according to its own interests, while the federal government could do nothing about the West.

Fight, maybe you can win, but it certainly can't be a quick victory, and the price you pay will inevitably be great. Moreover, the federal government has not even paid off the national debt of the first Mexican-American War. With the current tight financial situation of the federal government, it cannot support a protracted war.

Don't fight, and you don't know what the next move of the West will be.

"Invite Liang Yao to Washington to be the Secretary of War." Secretary of War Scott expressed his thoughts.

Among all the western leaders, Liang Yao's influence is so great that he has left other western leaders far behind.

No other western leader can compete with Liang Yao in terms of influence and strength in the west, even the second-in-command in the west, the hero and hero of California's founding, and the current governor of California, Fremont. Without Liang Yao's nod of permission, he still cannot serve as governor of California, where the Chinese population is absolutely dominant.

Scott has also heard that the reason why Fremont can serve as governor of California is not because he won the election of governor of California, but because he won Liang Yao's new appointment.

Liang Yao's voice and status in the entire west can be seen.

When Americans in the east talk about outstanding figures in the west, the first representative figure that people subconsciously think of is Liang Yao, not the current governor Fremont, nor the first governor Robinson. Although their contributions to California are also great.

Most importantly, Liang Yao is the only person in the west who holds military and political power and financial power at the same time. He is also the only one who can convince the public and suppress other western dignitaries.

The problem of the West is not so much a problem of the West as it is a problem of Liang Yao.

Liang Yao's influence in the West is so strong that his personal will can determine the choice and fate of the entire West.

As long as Liang Yao is solved, the West will fall into a situation of being leaderless and in chaos. And for a long time in the West, no one will be able to replace the ecological niche originally occupied by Liang Yao.

The federal government can seize this time window and divide and disintegrate different interest groups within the West by breaking them one by one. For example, support the Georgia Group or the Boston Group as the spokesperson for the interests of the federal government in the West, and then disband the Western Brigade. Eliminate the threat of Western armed forces.

"But the current Secretary of War is you, and you have not made any major mistakes during your tenure." Secretary of State Lewis Cass said with some concerns.

Everyone present is smart, and Scott doesn't need to make it clear. They also know that Scott wants to let Liang Yao come to Washington to serve as Secretary of War, and then restrict Liang Yao's personal freedom to cut off Liang Yao's connection with the Western Brigade and even the entire West.

Lewis Cass was concerned that Scott's Secretary of War was doing a good job, and suddenly resigning to invite Liang Yao to replace Scott would cause Liang Yao's vigilance and suspicion.

"No mistakes can create mistakes." Scott, wearing a lieutenant general uniform, caressed the lieutenant general's epaulettes on his shoulders and said firmly.

"The interests of the federation are above all else. Besides, I am 75 years old this year, and it is time to step down and make room for young people. Among all the current brigadiers in the United States, Liang Yao is also one of the most suitable candidates for Secretary of War, and his ability is still beyond doubt."

Before the Civil War, there were only two lieutenant generals in the United States, and the first lieutenant general of the United States was the founding president Washington.

Half a century after Washington, no general in the United States was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general until the period of President Fillmore in 1855. In view of Scott's outstanding contributions in the Mexican-American War, the federal government officially awarded Scott the rank of lieutenant general to break this situation.

Scott thus became the second lieutenant general after the founding president Washington, and the only lieutenant general still alive in the United States.

Before the Civil War, there were not many brigadier generals in the United States, so it goes without saying how valuable Lieutenant General Scott is.

Moreover, Scott served in the army for more than half a century and was a living fossil of the army. Scott participated in almost all major wars in the United States except the War of Independence. His rank of lieutenant general was earned slowly by his military merits.

As soon as Scott said this, the politicians in the office, including Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb, who was dissatisfied with Scott's tough attitude, all respected Scott.

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On the other hand, the news that Liang Yao was preparing for war spread to the East. Liang Yao only received inquiries and criticisms from the War Department and Buchanan, but there was no response or action from the East.

The situation was very different from what Liang Yao expected, which made Liang Yao feel very uncomfortable. He always felt that something must be wrong when things were abnormal. Unexpected calm is always the most disturbing.

Are the politicians in Washington really so busy dealing with all the mess between the North and the South that they have no time to look west?

But on second thought, it shouldn't be like this. Although the North and the South quarreled, they should have expressed something in the face of the sudden military threat from the West.

Moreover, in the recent news between the North and the South, there was no big news except that a fanatical abolitionist from the North named John Brown left Kansas, the center of the vortex, with a dozen like-minded and experienced partners and came to New York to make trouble. He claimed to go south and plant the flag of freedom in every state in the United States.

John Brown's move won him a lot of supporters, but more people thought that John Brown was drunk or sensational. A small figure like him wanted to liberate all the slaves in the South with dozens of people and dozens of guns. It was just wishful thinking.

John Brown's high-profile actions caused indignation and accusations from the South, but they were just accusations. The North just acquiesced to John Brown's behavior, and the South just threatened John Brown that if John Brown dared to go south, the bullets from the South would shoot him into a hornet's nest.

At present, this incident can be described as thunder and raindrops. The two sides are still at the stage of verbal battle and have no intention of taking action.

Even the northerners themselves think that John Brown is a bit whimsical and unreliable. Although the politicians in the northern free states support John Brown's ideas, they only give John Brown verbal support. No free politicians or capitalists invest in John Brown, provide him with arms, and organize armed forces to go south.