Feilloux had already roughly understood the attitude of the American upper class towards Florida through Charles. Although this somewhat conflicted with his purpose for coming to Philadelphia, personally, he was not entirely against annexing Florida. It was just that this would significantly reduce his future contributions to Florida.
The current difficulty was that as the unrest in Florida continued, a large number of Florida refugees began to flood into Georgia. Regardless of his motives, Feilloux had to accept these refugees who were friendly to Georgia. However, after taking them in, it brought immense pressure on local security and daily life. As the governor, Feilloux was constantly pleaded with before accepting these people, and then continuously complained to after accepting them. The main reason for wanting the Federal Government to resolve the Florida issue now was still based on the interests of the people of Georgia.
However, considering Charles' and the Federal Government's stance on interests, he immediately chose to side with them. In Georgia, he had reached the peak of his position. Now, to achieve better development, he could only approach problems from the perspective of Charles and the Federal Government. He subtly hinted to Charles, hoping that after he helped bring Florida into the United States, the Federal Government and the Republican Party would remember his contributions and give him appropriate rewards.
Charles, of course, would not be stingy with empty promises for such a request. He immediately guaranteed that he would secure a position for him in the Federal Government. Regarding the issue of complaints from the Florida people, he also said he could support the 'benevolent' governor in public opinion.
The two had actually reached a consensus on the Florida issue, and Feilloux officially abandoned his previous promises to Henrique.
Now, Florida's representative, Henrique, under Jefferson's intentional guidance, came to Charles and Feilloux to ask for aid. Neither of them was willing to provide too much support to Florida at this time, so they naturally felt a bit awkward.
Charles was unwilling to give aid immediately, while Feilloux found it difficult to speak up for Henrique again.
They would, of course, continue to provide military supplies and other support to Florida, but definitely not now, especially when Henrique was clearly being instigated by others to ask for aid.
"Your Excellency Henrique, perhaps we can continue to give appropriate assistance to the Florida rebels at this time, but Your Excellency, have you considered the path the rebels will take next? If the current situation continues, how can we confidently continue to provide you with aid?"
Charles could only find excuses to defer.
Feilloux, sitting next to him, ignored Henrique's several subtle glances. He sat silently, no longer speaking up for Florida.
"This..." Henrique looked at Feilloux, then at Charles, and fell into thought.
He had originally come seeking aid with no clear path, believing that even a little material aid like firearms was better than none. He had come to Charles and his associates for material aid even after Jefferson, representing the United States Federal Government, had refused assistance.
In fact, given the current situation of the Florida rebels, even if Charles and his associates could provide a large amount of material aid, whether it could truly reach them, and how much effect it would have if it did, was still an unknown. No matter how unintelligent Henrique was, he had already realized that for Florida's war of Independence to succeed, they had to find other avenues.
Now, Charles, the biggest supporter of the Florida resistance organization, merely brought up the issue of the resistance organization's future. Not giving a good answer made it difficult to ask for further aid.
"The only way out we considered before was to seek aid from the United States Federal Government, preferably direct military aid. But Mr. Godfrey, as you know, our Department of State has already explicitly rejected our request. In such circumstances, it is truly difficult for us to give you an accurate answer regarding our future in a short time."
Henrique looked a bit embarrassed.
"Haha! Actually, I have always been helping the Florida rebels, and I will not interrupt the original plan now. So you don't have to worry about our aid; everything will continue as originally arranged. As for other aid, we must wait until your future is officially resolved before we can consider additional support," Charles said.
As for when the next planned aid would be given, that would be another matter.
Henrique did not pay attention to Charles' words, but instead seized on the previous topic and asked:
"Respected Mr. Godfrey, then what do you think should be the way out for our Florida independence movement?"
"This..." Charles also pondered, looking a bit troubled.
"We were inspired by the successful independence of the United States of America, coupled with the propaganda of many American youths, to pursue Florida's independence. But now it seems that in the face of the powerful Spanish army, we truly have little chance of success. Is it that our Florida is too weak? But the king of Spain hasn't specifically dispatched a large army to suppress us. Or is there a problem elsewhere?" Henrique continued to seek Charles' advice.
In fact, this matter is very simple, because both independence movements also involved intervention from other countries. It's just that France, which helped the United States, did not have the opportunity to annex the United States, while the forces helping Florida not only had the strength to annex her but also the opportunity. Even those who went to Florida to promote independence ideas were basically on special missions within certain American organizations.
Charles naturally could not tell the truth, and could only tactfully persuade:
"Respected Your Excellency Henrique, the American war of Independence lasted for several years, and at the very beginning, we also faced the crisis of being immediately annihilated by the British. But we ultimately triumphed. Now, Florida's struggle to break free from Spain has just begun. You must not lose confidence due to the current disadvantages!"
"Haha!" Henrique gave a bitter laugh, "Your Excellency can rest assured on this point. Our remaining fighters fundamentally possess a firm belief in freeing Florida from Spanish control. Even those who were wavering have already been taken in by governor Feilloux. We have no worries about the future."
"That's good!" Charles nodded repeatedly.
"But is our path to victory simply to persist in guerrilla warfare?" Henrique pressed further.
That is impossible; in fact, you can launch a counterattack at the appropriate time. This was meaningless guidance.
Charles actually agreed with Henrique's idea. If the people of Florida could truly persist in guerrilla warfare, it would definitely be a nightmare for the Spanish. Perhaps a few years later, when Spain was invaded by France and its military forces fully contracted, they might indeed be forced to abandon the quagmire of Florida.
However, before that, the United States would definitely have an opportunity to seize Florida by force when Spain joined the Anti-French Alliance Forces to attack the French Revolution government. For this, he even planned to ally with the French Revolution government to weaken Europe, with a focus on annexing the Colonies of other European countries in America.
However, Charles' words only deepened the worries of Henrique, who was genuinely concerned about Florida's affairs. Given the current disparity in strength between the rebel army and the Spanish army, a counterattack would likely result in a disastrous defeat. But he felt too embarrassed to voice such self-deprecating thoughts in front of Charles.
Feilloux, who was nearby, had no choice but to step in and reassure him:
"Mr. Henrique, you can rest assured. The Federal Government and the Georgia state government have always been very concerned about the situation in Florida. They will certainly help you overcome the difficulties."
"Alas! In this world, only the United States of America is our true friend!" Henrique said with emotion.
During his stay in Philadelphia, he had actually avoided the Federal Government and Feilloux and others, secretly contacting the Ambassadors of European countries like Britain and France, hoping they could mediate or provide aid to Florida.
Although the British very much wanted to weaken Spain, she possessed vast Colonies worldwide, and was always somewhat unwilling to help Colonies achieve independence. France and Spain were fundamentally two peas in a pod, so why would France be willing to help oppose Spain? As for other countries, even if they were willing to help, they basically had no power in America, so they would certainly be willing but unable.
As the only country genuinely helping Florida at the moment, Henrique had no doubts about her at all, only respect.
"Respected Mr. Godfrey, we heard that Your Excellency signed many cotton supply contracts in Georgia. In fact, the areas of Florida close to Georgia are also very suitable for growing cotton, as well as the rubber trees you are experimenting with in Georgia. If you are willing, we hope to sign some agreements with you to supply these crops at preferential prices, in exchange for some firearms from your Pittsburgh Armory."
This was Henrique's bottom-line request for aid before he came.
Florida, in the midst of unrest, could not actually produce much cotton or tap much rubber. It was merely with the spirit of 'every little bit helps' that this request was made.
"Of course! I am very willing to accept your proposal. In fact, I was originally planning to purchase some land in Florida, but the unrest in Florida has simply put that plan on hold," Charles immediately nodded in agreement.
"Really? Mr. Godfrey, are you really planning to buy land and property in Florida?" Henrique asked, his face full of excitement.
"Of course!" Charles looked at Henrique's unusual expression and nodded, feeling slightly strange.
"If that's the case, then I can represent the Republic of Florida government and offer you a piece of land, half-sale, half-gift. How about three hundred thousand acres? If that's too much, two hundred thousand acres is also acceptable. We can draw up a formal document right now, but we hope the transaction can be paid for with firearms and other materials, not cash," Henrique suggested with a hearty laugh.
"Uh, this..." Charles looked a bit awkward.
This should be considered an attempt to bribe him, a high-ranking official, with land.
The Republic of Florida government, of course, was the independent organization established by the Florida rebels. However, their act of gifting him land was truly too ridiculous. It was uncertain how many days their government could last under the Spanish blockade, yet now they were preparing to use land not under their administration to curry favor with him.
Even if it were a free gift, if he accepted their land, he certainly couldn't show no appreciation. Now, with a half-sale, half-gift, he would give them firearms first, but whether he could ultimately gain management rights over that land, and whether he and they could decide, there was no such business in the world.
Charles' initial reaction to Henrique's suggestion was contempt, but then his heart stirred.
The Republic of Florida was actually quite accepted by those "sympathizers" in the United States in private. If he could work behind the scenes to get the Federal Government to recognize this Republic of Florida government first, then this contract would have legal effect after the United States annexed all of Florida in the future. In that case, wouldn't those hundreds of thousands of acres of land simply fall into his hands for free?
If such a thing happened on land that had already become his country's territory, it might bring him a little bad reputation. But now, basically no one could guarantee that the United States could smoothly annex Florida. Only he clearly knew, based on Europe's development after the French Revolution, that the United States would certainly have the opportunity to gradually encroach on surrounding areas, including all of Florida.
Now, if he accepted the land gift from Florida, no one would truly believe he was accepting a bribe or maliciously encroaching on future national property. At most, they would think it was another political gamble, just like when he previously provided loans to the Continental Congress. Now, exchanging a large amount of firearms for land with no guarantee whatsoever, if the "Republic of Florida" succeeded, he would naturally acquire the land. If it failed, he would lose everything.
Furthermore, as long as this "Republic of Florida" could sustain itself, he would also gain their friendship. Because almost no one believed this precarious republican government could last for long. His recognition of them now was, in itself, a form of support for them.
"Although such a transaction is truly difficult to clarify right now, Your Excellency Henrique, I am indeed very interested in your proposal. Perhaps we can discuss it in more depth," Charles said with a smile.