Chapter 1088: The Future of North America
Christie frowned once more.
Today was Monday; there were still six days until the weekend.
Baron de Lesseps sensed his hesitation and gestured again toward the opposite bank of the river. "Look there, Colonel. Over a thousand ferocious Indians are waiting. They could spring from the thickets at any moment and rain poisoned arrows down upon your men."
"However, if I can persuade them to accept the debt settlement plan, you can occupy that land without losing a single soldier."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The ammunition you'll save alone is worth thousands of dollars."
Christie's eyes narrowed. It was exactly as the Frenchman said. To crush a major tribe like the Cherokee, reporting a consumption of three or four thousand dollars' worth of ammunition would be perfectly normal. If the Indians truly withdrew on their own, that money would find its way into his own pocket.
He looked at Lesseps and nodded. "Very well. Sunday morning at eight o'clock, I will cross the river on schedule. Furthermore, if the Indian forces make any suspicious moves, I will launch an immediate assault."
"I am certain no such thing will happen," Lesseps replied with a slight bow. He then gestured for his attendant to bring forward a small wooden chest. "This is black tea I brought from Pondicherry. I hope you find it to your liking."
On the Cherokee side, Chief Hassay watched as the man named Long Horn traced a third cross in the air. He then looked up toward the far bank of the Altamaha River.
Hassay sighed, shaking his head in self-mockery. 'I've grown weak, actually praying to some foreign God...'
He was only halfway through the thought when his eyes suddenly widened. He saw the Americans abruptly re-hitch the cannons they had just positioned to their pack horses. The infantry units began to wheel around, marching away.
A Cherokee warrior who had been praying pointed at the Americans, shouting in excitement, "The... the prayer worked! Look, the Lord has shown His power!"
The other Indians clearly noticed the situation as well, and a roar of cheers erupted. "The Lord is truly protecting us!"
"The Americans are retreating!"
"The prophecy is true! We are saved!"
"Thank the Lord..."
Immediately, those who had previously looked upon Long Horn with disdain joined the ranks of the prayer, their devotion now absolute.
Long Horn held the Indian Gospel high, his voice trembling as he addressed the Cherokee people. "Everything was foretold! At the very moment our tribe faced destruction, the Lord sent a miracle to drive away the demons!"
"Praise the Lord! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!"
The other Indians had heard the prophecies within the Gospel many times during his preaching. Now that they had seen them fulfilled, their belief in Jesus as the Savior was unshakable. They shouted in unison, "Amen!"
Of course, these so-called prophecies had been written into the Indian Gospel by Father Vigne, following the strict instructions of the Crown Prince.
Joseph's basis for these predictions was the intelligence gathered by the Security Bureau regarding the gathering of American troops for continued westward expansion.
American expansion would inevitably seize Indian lands. Given the tribes' current strength, they were utterly incapable of resisting.
Thus, he had the Gospel "prophesy" that the Cherokee would face a cataclysmic disaster this year or the next—that demons from the east would destroy everything they owned and slaughter their people. Naturally, the prophecies also mentioned the impending doom of the Creek and Choctaw tribes.
Following this, Joseph dispatched diplomats to smooth things over in Alabama and Georgia, preparing to "save" the Indians at the critical moment.
The second half of the prophecy stated: "The Lord shall send a miracle to drive away the demons and save the Indian people. Then, a 'Guide' shall appear to lead the tribes to a life of happiness and stability."
Indeed, Joseph had no intention of letting the Indians die defending places like Alabama and Georgia.
Those regions were too close to the American heartland and lacked natural barriers, making them extremely difficult to defend.
Furthermore, the Indian tribes were like a plate of loose sand. Even the largest Creek Confederacy had a population of less than fifty thousand. The Cherokee, with eight thousand people, were already considered a top-tier power. Many smaller tribes consisted of only a few hundred members.
With their primitive tribal armies, they were nothing more than lambs for the slaughter before the Americans.
For Joseph, the most precious resource at the moment was manpower.
Saint-Louisiane possessed high-quality plains that were rare in central North America, with ample arable land, but the population was far too sparse. Between the French immigrants, the former Spanish residents, and their slaves, there were only about thirty thousand people.
Even if the French government invested heavily in immigration regardless of the cost, it would be difficult to exceed sixty thousand people in a short period.
Such a population could never hope to block the ambitions of a westward-moving America.
Therefore, it was necessary to gather a large number of Indians and direct them to build numerous towns on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Only then would Saint-Louisiane have the strength to challenge the United States.
As for the possibility that the Indian population might eventually become too large and cause France to lose control, Joseph didn't care in the slightest.
Saint-Louisiane spanned over two million square kilometers. No matter how many Frenchmen were sent, it would be difficult to maintain effective control over such a vast area.
It was better to lead the Indians from the beginning, making them France's "younger brothers" and guiding them to establish their own nations on this vast land.
Furthermore, Joseph planned to support the Indians and Mexicans in the west and north, as well as the mixed-race populations in California, helping them establish their own independent states.
This way, even in the worst-case scenario where the United States crossed the Mississippi, a series of tough obstacles would be waiting for them.
By supporting local powers, France could more easily secure mining rights, as well as trade and financial privileges in those countries. This was far more cost-effective than direct colonial control.
Another part of the plan was to concentrate the limited number of French immigrants in North America to keep vital ports in their own hands. For instance, the New Orleans region at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
That area was only about a hundred thousand square kilometers. With two hundred thousand immigrants, it would be enough to ensure that no one could look upon it with greed.
The entire foreign trade of central North America would rely on the Port of New Orleans.
In other words, by then, whether it was the newly formed Indian nations or the American states on the east bank of the Mississippi, they would all have to answer to France.
France could reap the profits of port trade without the immense cost of managing a sprawling colonial territory.
Then there was Los Angeles on the West Coast.
When Mexico eventually pushed for independence, France could find an opportunity to bring that area into its fold.
This would allow them to extract massive profits from California, the wealthiest region in North America.
It wasn't until the American army had completely vanished from sight that the Cherokee people finally breathed a long sigh of relief, which was immediately followed by even more boisterous cheering.
A tribal officer approached the Chief, looking out at the empty riverbank across the water. "Hassay, what do we do now?"
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