"This… if we can peacefully avoid the British fleet's blockade, then that is certainly a good idea. //" John Abel from the South slowly said.
His eyes met with a few other Southern plantation owners beside him, and they had already reached a consensus.
"Originally, we were prepared to give up a portion of the market, but now that Speaker Charles has such a good method, we naturally aren't willing to abandon our friendship with France."
The other plantation owners all expressed their unanimous support.
These plantation owners mainly sold tobacco and cotton, and in reality, their trade with Britain was even greater than with France. However, their degree of involvement in the French Revolution was higher than that of the industrial and commercial owners in the northern United States. Initially, due to the British threat, they felt they had no choice but to reluctantly abandon the vast legitimate market in France. But for the sake of the Southern revolutionaries fighting in France, even if it meant smuggling, they would get some supplies into France. Now, hearing about Charles' highly promising method, they naturally immediately prepared to participate. Who wouldn't want to do business openly and honestly?
"However, Honorable Speaker, how to use steam cargo ships and specifically how to break through the British blockade still requires careful study. It would be best to reach a consensus beforehand."
"Of course." Charles nodded in agreement.
The British threat had just been issued, and the blockade couldn't possibly start immediately, so they still had ample time to prepare. "Additionally, we should also inform the Department of State, hoping that President Franklin and the Secretary of State can intercede for us and try to ensure our interests." Some merchants still had ideas.
This matter certainly needed to be reported to the Department of State, and Charles did not object, but he was certain that Franklin and the Department of State could not play a significant role in this.
The preceding remarks reflected the attitude of the Southern plantation owners.
"So, does anyone else have any good suggestions?" Charles smiled, looking at the factory owners in the North. Although he was confident of his sufficient influence over them, a show of courtesy was still necessary.
"Honorable Speaker, actually, the forces supporting France are not limited to just us. We can also act in conjunction with people from other countries to minimize losses."
Someone indeed offered an additional suggestion.
In Europe, there were almost no countries openly supporting the French Revolution, but similarly, almost every country had people, either openly or secretly, supporting the French Revolution and sympathizing with the revolutionaries. If merchant ships could land in these countries and then have supplies transported into France by revolutionary supporters, it would certainly reduce a lot of transportation pressure.
Charles and the others immediately adopted this suggestion.
These merchants were still a bit uneasy about having only this one solution. However, although everyone subsequently offered some suggestions, including lobbying members of the Anti-French Alliance Countries and bribing enemy fleets, these had no major impact on the overall plan. Ultimately, it was still decided to prioritize Charles' steamship plan to ensure continued trade with France.
Seeing that some people still looked worried, Charles smiled and reassured them:
"Everyone, rest assured. Europe is already mired in the quagmire of war. Neither France nor the Anti-French Alliance Countries can spare the effort to go to war with us in the short term. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. Previously, American merchants could never compete with major European merchants and could only act as their agents, earning very little profit. That was because our capital and strength were insufficient. But this time, as long as we seize the opportunity of the Anti-French war to develop, we will no longer have to bow to the whims of major European merchants. Perhaps in the future, there will even be a time when the United States can influence Europe."
If these words were spoken among passionate young people, they would certainly be met with applause.
Although these merchants felt that this war was indeed a good opportunity to increase their strength, they merely responded with bitter smiles to Charles' incitement. They clearly understood that opportunities often came with risks. This was certainly an excellent time for development, but only when they truly developed would it be a victory. If their goods were accidentally confiscated by the British fleet, then bankruptcy and suicide might be their only path.
Next came detailed discussions, including how to lobby officials, how to use steam merchant ships, and coordination during transportation, and so on. These merchants scrutinized every detail, striving for maximum safety. The matter was too complex, and some things simply couldn't be explained in a few words. In the coming days, Charles would also send dedicated personnel to discuss them in detail.
After everyone dispersed, Charles could barely suppress the smile on his face.
This time, the British threat of blockade had not caused him any losses, but he had already gained significant advantages. As these big merchants left, Charles immediately received orders for ten steam cargo ships from them. If it weren't for limited construction capacity, he could have even taken on more orders. With tens of thousands of pounds worth of transactions right in front of him, how could Charles not be happy?
He then ordered the Atlantic Cruise Company and shipyards to modify ship designs to make cargo ships more conducive to breaking through defenses and to begin drills according to ** tactics, striving to skillfully break through the British blockade lines with improved steam cargo ships once the British began blockading the French coast. As for selling steam cargo ships to other merchants, he naturally let them arrange it themselves. However, those merchants without money or ships, who could only transport goods through Charles' shipping company, still needed to discuss with Charles how to cooperate.
In January 1785, after more than a month of negotiations, the U.S. State Department officially rejected the demands of Britain, Spain, and other countries, refusing their suggestions to restrict merchant ships from traveling to France.
Britain and Spain, among other countries, were furious and immediately issued diplomatic notes: Given that Europe had entered a state of war, for the safety of all nations, a fleet would be dispatched to blockade the French coast. Any ship approaching the French coast must comply with the commands of Britain, Spain, and other countries; otherwise, the ship would be detained, and the goods on board would be confiscated.
The U.S. State Department responded with silence to this, with only Congress and President Franklin expressing regret, but they did not lodge a particularly strong protest. The strength of Britain, Spain, and other countries was evident; even if the British Government wanted to object, they wouldn't care, so naturally, no one would invite humiliation.
Although a few more radical members of Congress expressed great indignation, believing that Europe was hindering the trade freedom of American merchants and that a fleet should be dispatched to escort American merchant ships, everyone knew that the current American navy was barely capable of protecting its own coastline. As for escorting American merchant ships to Europe, it was questionable whether they could even make the journey to Europe. Such proposals were killed at the grassroots level before they even made it onto the agenda.
These higher-level governmental confrontations were all very gentle and formalized, while the conflicts on the commercial front were the true open clashes.
The British Government announced that its fleet would blockade the French coastline, and the British Embassy, as well as the American Chamber of Commerce, subsequently issued relatively formal documents to American merchants with trade relations with France. They demanded that these merchants immediately cease trade with France, otherwise, they would not only face sanctions from the British Government, but any goods sold to France would also be confiscated by the British Government.
Many small merchants were frightened and decided to stop trading with France. Some felt insulted and decided to retaliate against these countries' threats by stopping the sale of goods to Anti-French Alliance Countries.
Only the big merchants led by Charles neither protested nor responded to the British Government's threats. They continued doing business with Britain, Spain, and other countries, and their support for France did not stop; it merely shifted from open free trade to secretly breaking through the blockade using steam merchant ships.
Although the British knew that American merchant ships were forcing their way through the blockade, they did not make a big fuss. If they caught one, they would detain it; if they didn't, they wouldn't loudly proclaim it. If the matter became known to the public, for the sake of appearances, the British would certainly have to fight another war with the United States, and this was not something the British Government, constantly focused on French politics, wished to see or could afford.
Europe was losing its dominance over America, and the era of America influencing Europe had not yet arrived. At present, Charles could only utilize advanced technology for minor skirmishes in small conflicts. As for truly turning against Europe, let alone Charles, even the entire United States at that time would not have the confidence.
All of this dictated that the conflict could only proceed privately, without being openly declared.
At this time, the strength of the British Navy was beyond doubt. Forcing through the blockade was very dangerous. Since the first American merchant ship was detained in March, in the short few months that followed, dozens of merchant ships heading to France were seized, and a large number of American merchants and other countries' traders with France went bankrupt and committed suicide due to losses. However, the British Navy was not a wall; it could not truly completely blockade the French coastline. A large number of merchant ships still ultimately broke through the blockade and delivered their goods to France. Among these, American steamships had the highest success rate. Basically, as long as they didn't encounter a British steam cruiser, they could absolutely break through safely, and even if they did encounter a steam cruiser, the breakthrough rate was over 70%.
The saying "rarity makes things valuable" holds much truth. Although France was at war, the French were not poor. The interception of a large number of ordinary merchant ships led to a decrease in the quantity of overseas goods, causing commodity prices to continuously rise. All merchants who successfully broke through the blockade, including Charles, made huge profits.
The blockade of the French coastline by countries like Britain and Spain did not cause Charles much loss.
On the contrary, during this period, the reports Charles received showed that his net profit from trade with France had almost doubled.
This was due to the large number of cargo sailing ships being intercepted, leading to a shortage of various overseas goods in France, which allowed overseas items to be sold at higher prices.
Charles' steamboats, as the only ships capable of breaking the blockade, enabled him to earn huge profits by consistently supplying various overseas goods.
France originally had vast Colonies overseas, which provided a large amount of supplies and were an indispensable part of the French people's complete way of life.
Whether it was the basic material needs of commoners or the luxurious enjoyment of nobles, both were heavily dependent on those overseas Colonies.
Now, in order to prevent the French Revolutionary Government from obtaining weapons, the Anti-French Alliance blockaded the French coastline.
The navy, which was responsible for defending the French coast, had strong traditional noble power.
On one hand, it was unwilling to cooperate with the Revolutionary Government, and on the other hand, it could not truly be a match for the British and Spanish fleets, so there was no war at all.
The prolonged blockade and the sharp decrease in overseas supplies immediately impacted all of France, causing the lives of both commoners and the upper classes to deteriorate significantly.
Commoners were slightly better off, as France itself had abundant resources, and the overseas Colonies primarily provided non-essential goods rather than staples like food.
Without overseas supplies, it was merely a decline in living quality.
Anyway, occasionally some items broke through the blockade, and people would buy them if they could afford them; if the price was too high, they would simply do without.
However, the upper echelons were more significantly affected.
The French Revolution only eliminated the Bourbon monarchy, not the upper class, and barely even a few nobles were truly eliminated.
At this time, France still had leaders and an upper class.
The Revolutionary Government opposed the monarchy, but these revolutionary leaders did not oppose luxury and enjoyment.
In fact, after overthrowing the Bourbon dynasty and achieving victory in the revolution, the leaders of the French Revolutionary Government had always lived a life of luxury no less than that of the former royal family.
They needed a large number of luxury goods from America: dazzling jewelry, precious furs, fragrant tobacco.
Without luxury goods from the Americas, their level of enjoyment would decrease by more than half.
They had a large amount of the former royal family's wealth in their pockets, so they had ample capital.
To ensure their former luxurious lifestyle, they scrambled to buy those American specialties and luxury goods at high prices, which naturally greatly increased the profits of merchants who broke through the blockade.
With many fewer competitors, Charles' business, naturally, got better and better.
Coupled with a large number of irreplaceable arms deals, the tighter the British blockade, the more Charles earned.
Others, seeing this, either tried every means to join Charles' trade team or simply ordered steam cargo ships and found ways to smuggle themselves.
Over the next several periods, a large number of steamboats were built by Charles' shipyard.
This not only brought him huge profits but also led to significant breakthroughs in shipbuilding technology.
The experience accumulated from mass production led to a continuous stream of new products from Charles' shipyard, with more advanced ships constantly being designed and manufactured.
Although the British also invested heavily in the research and development of new steam warships, hoping for faster cruisers to intercept these annoying "smuggling ships," the result of repeated clashes between the two sides was an ever-widening gap, making it impossible to capture the steam cargo ships from America.
However, Charles also believed that such a situation could not continue.
It was impossible to rely solely on one technology and a group of merchants to contend with a nation for long.
Charles had already begun to think of other methods; what he needed to do now was to seize greater profits before this exclusive trade advantage disappeared.
Before the British formally decided on the blockade, Charles incited the Department of State to engage with the French Revolutionary Government, hoping to acquire Louisiana from the French in advance.
However, the French Revolutionary Government, in order to rally the nation to resist the invasion of the Anti-French Alliance, had always been promoting nationalism.
Perhaps if this proposal had been made earlier, it might have received the French Revolutionary Government's approval, but now, considering the national sentiment, it was firmly rejected by them.
The people at the U.S. State Department never actually expected such a proposal to be accepted by the French, so the rejection was not surprising.
However, Charles, as the mastermind behind it, was very regretful that he had not seized the opportunity.
Nevertheless, even though it was rejected by the French, Charles' planned westward expansion was still set to begin.
That year, due to the war on Europe, a large number of Europeans, fleeing the war, crossed the ocean to the American continent in search of a peaceful haven.
While most of these people, seeking a calm and stable life, chose to settle in the fully developed eastern coastal cities, many adventurous individuals pushed westward to places like Pittsburgh, hoping to gain greater wealth by developing virgin territory.
The arrival of these people provided ample labor and markets for the Great Lakes region.
As the population of Pittsburgh and its surrounding areas grew, Charles knew that the westward movement was ripe.
His westward movement was fundamentally different from the historical westward expansion that expelled natives to seize living space for white settlers.
When Charles proposed this westward movement, he had a very clear goal: the resources and mineral deposits of the Midwest.
Resources were one thing, but the mineral deposits of the Midwest were absolutely a treasure trove that attracted many eyes.
In these past few years, adventurers who went to explore not only plundered a large amount of gold from natives but also discovered many mineral deposits.
Gold and silver were most attractive to ordinary people, but for a politician and great merchant like Charles, copper, iron, and tin were more significant.
Charles had always used bounty missions to encourage adventurers to help explore mineral deposits in the Midwest, and now he had several marked locations for copper, iron, and tin deposits.
Previously, these had not been developed, partly due to the godfearing threat of external interference from Britain, France, and other powers, but mainly due to a lack of sufficient manpower and capital.
Now, with France neglecting the administration of Louisiana, and with his own ample manpower and excellent sales of industrial products providing him with abundant capital and markets, Charles' confidence greatly increased, and he believed that the conditions for Midwestern development were ripe.
In March 1785, shortly after the spring thaw, ten large teams totaling five thousand people, each with cattle, sheep, horses, luggage, and tools, began to leave Pittsburgh for several already identified mining sites to establish settlements and begin development.
Accompanying them was a thousand-strong Pittsburgh militia.
The movement of the entire team would be very slow, as along the way, besides clearing a path for vehicles, they also had to establish interconnected relay stations.
They even took on the tasks of eradicating the banditry that had always existed around Pittsburgh, and either pacifying or eliminating natives who might pose a danger to the settlements.
Charles' requirement for them was simply to successfully establish the settlements before winter arrived.
In the future, these ten teams will develop mines and establish ten small towns in the desolate lands of the Midwest.
Charles believes that it won't be long before these small towns flourish.
Now, riding the coattails of the war in Europe, with immense mineral consumption and a continuous influx of people fleeing the war, perhaps in just ten years, these ten small towns will develop into ten small cities.
Later, some of them may even become famous major cities in the future American Midwest.
As for the French side, Charles did not stop his actions.
Because the exorbitant prices of luxury goods had already begun to become unaffordable for the French elite.
In addition, the difficult-to-transport military supplies had also been subject to several price increases by Charles, causing financial difficulties for the Revolutionary Government.
Even some commoners, whose lives had not improved after the revolution, were somewhat dissatisfied with the current French Revolutionary Government.
To save the current French Revolutionary Government, and also to lay a trap of interest, Charles, in conjunction with some major merchants and the U.S. State Department, prepared to provide loan assistance to the French Revolutionary Government.
Naturally, this loan could not be given without collateral.
As security, France would have to temporarily mortgage Louisiana to the American Government.
And from any perspective, the Anti-French war could not end in the short term.
When the war was still ongoing in the future, but the loan had matured, Louisiana would naturally belong to the United States.
Once this plan succeeded, the United States would acquire a vast new territory, and the great merchants would receive huge returns from the American Government.
As for Charles, he would naturally achieve a double harvest of politics and money.
Unfortunately, this was still just a plan, as France's most difficult time had not yet arrived.
A powerful nation of several centuries, its foundation could never be depleted within a year or two.