IBTCPOTME Novel - Chapter 151
**Chapter 151**
**Chapter 151 South and North (5)**
The United States of America government, which had been on high alert for the North’s movements since its independence, had seen no significant activity.
“They wouldn’t just let us be independent. Are they going to handle the aftermath? They’re awfully relaxed.”
Jefferson Davis said, lighting a cigarette.
“It’s for the best. We’ll have time to persuade the states hesitant to join.”
If the North doesn’t attack, the South has no justification for a preemptive strike. The North is forcing the South into unconditional surrender, not the other way around.
Puff-
“Yes. An article stating ‘The U.S. government is afraid of war’ would be helpful.”
Davis muttered, exhaling smoke, and his aide took notes.
Many states were hesitant to join. The border states, directly bordering the North, were particularly hesitant, as their homelands would be the first to suffer in case of military conflict.
“We don’t need neutrality. Neutrality means staying with the Union, a declaration to steal the property of good citizens.”
Davis actively utilized the media.
The South was the victim. Just as the United States had declared independence from Britain, which had imposed high taxes, the South had declared independence from the United States, which was forcing the abolition of slavery. If the North invaded the South, it would be the same as the oppressive British.
He stimulated the American spirit of rebellion by publishing articles with such arguments every day.
By February, Alabama and Georgia joined, rapidly increasing the power of the United States of America.
Except for some border states where public opinion was split, it was only a matter of time before other slave states joined.
“If only those Mexicans don’t intervene, we can fight.”
Someone uttered such arrogant words. The number of slave owners and liberals was exactly 14 to 14. At first glance, it seems equal, but what matters is the content.
“Population aside, the industrial areas are in the North, so we’ll be at a disadvantage as time goes on.”
That was the harsh reality. The South’s industrialization was at a child’s level compared to the North, and the North produced all the materials needed for war.
Even though the South had an agricultural economy, most of it was based on cash crops like cotton, so they couldn’t induce a food shortage in the North.
“The good thing is that the North will have to pay off the massive debts they incurred to Mexico and Britain starting this year. If they default, they’ll have to pay a huge interest.”
“That’s right. The Mexicans did take some slaves from us, but it was a small amount compared to the damage the North suffered, so financially, we can say that we are much more stable.”
“I don’t know how much time the Northerners will give us, but we need to provide subsidies to build factories that can produce military supplies.”
Southern officials began to design the future of the South, engaging in heated discussions.
***
“The National Veterans Administration…”
If I had pushed harder, it could have been the ‘National Veterans Department’, but in the current situation, this was appropriate.
“The goal is not to save money, but to ensure that those who are eligible receive their benefits accurately.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind, Your Highness.”
The National Veterans Administration, newly established after this war, had various tasks.
The most important was to accurately identify those eligible for benefits. Not everyone who participated in the war received the same benefits.
Some only received training and then the war ended, some went into battle, some were injured in battle, some made significant contributions, and many died in battle.
It wouldn’t make sense to give the same benefits to all of them. They needed to be given different benefits. However, the types of benefits themselves were mostly similar: pensions, land, loans, education, and treatment. It was just the size and order of the benefits that differed.
“As I said before, persuade many people to come to the city. But don’t force them.”
I entrusted it to a capable person I had been watching, so I believed they would do well, but I continued to advise out of concern.
The treatment of veterans was that important. They were the ones who would become the foundation of the nation.
***
The Mexican Empire was gradually withdrawing its troops from the border and newly acquired territories.
“Isaac, you’re going to the city?”
It was their turn now.
“Yes. What about you?”
“I’m going home.”
The home Dequan Torres spoke of wasn’t the homeland of his Comanche lineage. It was the village assigned to his family by the Mexican Imperial government. But he had been living there for almost four years now. Except for the connections he made in the army, all his connections were there.
Dequan had no intention of leaving.
“What about college?”
“Not really. I’ll send them there later when I get married and a school opens up in the village. What about you?”
“I’m going next year.”
“Wow. That’s worth losing two fingers.”
Isaac lost his left ring and pinky fingers in battle.
“Haha, yeah.”
“···”
Silence fell for a moment. It was the last time they would be together after a year.
“I’ll be at Chihuahua University, so come visit sometimes. You’re free in the winter, right?”
It was about farming. Isaac had also farmed before, so he knew well.
“Yeah. It’s not that far by train, so I’ll definitely go. Don’t be intimidated at university.”
Dequan, who had been raised as a Comanche warrior in his childhood, worried about Isaac’s gentle nature. In the army, everyone had been forced to be friendly, but that wouldn’t be the case in society.
“Ha, I’ve been through war, I’m not going to be intimidated. I’m not the only black guy going to university.”
It was about Tom Freeman, whom he had mentioned occasionally.
“That’s good then.”
It was time to part ways. Isaac had to go to Chihuahua City in Chihuahua State, and Dequan had to go to a village in northern East Texas, so they didn’t take the same train.
“Take care.”
“You too.”
They exchanged a final, warm handshake and parted ways.
***
The village he returned to after almost a year and three months was almost the same, but almost everyone in the village was there to greet him.
Not only Dequan, but other young people in the village had also volunteered.
“My son!”
His mother checked to see if her son’s body was intact after all this time. She checked if he had any injuries, if his limbs were still attached.
Her worried heart, nervously stroking him all over, almost brought tears to his eyes, but he held back and said,
“Father, Mother. I’ve returned safely.”
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”
Similar things were happening everywhere. Families without sons who had gone to war welcomed them back.
Even the white man who had acted arrogantly before patted him on the shoulder, saying he was glad he was back.
“Welcome back.”
It wasn’t a celebratory atmosphere. Some hadn’t returned. However, the Mexican Empire regularly sent news about the deceased, so it wasn’t a scene of tears, but an ambiguous atmosphere.
“So, did you kill a lot of Americans?”
His father, who had wanted to join the war but couldn’t due to his family’s persuasion, asked that.
“Yes. …Too many, it’s a problem.”
At first, he felt like he was getting revenge. But seeing countless young faces die in front of the trenches, those thoughts gradually disappeared.
Seeing his son’s complicated expression, his father seemed to understand his feelings and didn’t ask further. Instead, he changed the subject.
“Ahem. So, is the family farm expanding?”
“Oh, right. But because of the neighboring farms, we can’t expand it, so we have to choose one of two options. We either build a second farm in a more distant location, or sell the farm to the government and combine it to create a new farm.”
“Hmm… I’d love to keep it attached to the current farm, but we can’t do that, so there’s no choice. I wonder if the government will pay a fair price. It’s the farm I’ve cultivated for four years.”
“The Veterans Administration official said they would buy it at a fair price.”
“Veterans Administration? I’ve never heard of that. Well, if the government says so, then it must be true.”
Four years ago, his father had hated Mexico as much as the United States, but over time, his thoughts had changed a lot.
The Mexican Empire’s policies were surprisingly conciliatory, and after farming, he couldn’t help but understand why the neighboring tribes and nations hated the Comanche tribe, which had lived off a predatory economy.
Now, he enjoyed diligently farming the land he had.
“Then, I’ll look for a good place in the village.”
“Yeah. There are a few kids in the village besides you who went to war, so whoever finds it first gets it.”
Soon, there was a major change in the land ownership situation in the village, which had been similar for the past four years.
Those who had participated in the war acquired much larger plots of land.
***
“What? Literature? Literature?”
The men on the construction site all protested when they heard Isaac’s thoughts.
Everyone, regardless of whether they were mestizos, blacks, or natives.
“You’re going to study literature when they’re sending you to college?”
“Yes. Please reconsider. It’s an opportunity you earned by losing your fingers, literature is a real no-go.”
Isaac got a job at a construction site before going to college to earn some living expenses. The government provided tuition, and he also received a pension, but it wasn’t a large amount, so he had to earn some living expenses.
He was building an apartment complex in Chihuahua City, and the building included the apartment he would be given.
“In addition to the 24 square meters (7.2 pyeong) you were originally going to receive for moving to the city, you’ll get an additional 48 square meters (14.5 pyeong) as a war bonus, so if you go to the chemistry department and get a job at ‘Gaítan’ there, wouldn’t it be perfect?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’ll be perfect by the time you graduate and get married.”
They gave him advice like fathers advising their children, even suggesting the best career path they thought was best.
“But I want to write novels.”
“Oh my.”
“Oh dear.”
Sighs erupted when Isaac insisted.
“You know this house we’re building, it’s yours, but you know it’s all on loan, right? They’re not giving you a house, it’s an interest-free loan.”
“Oh, I’m getting some of the house construction costs subsidized instead of land compensation, so I only have to pay half.”
“···Really?”
Isaac had a dream. It wasn’t farming, engineering, or science, as others said. It was his dream to reveal the stories that were stuck in one corner of his heart to the world.
Seeing Isaac’s firm resolve, the adults backed down.
“Well, even if you don’t write novels well, there won’t be a shortage of jobs in Mexico.”
“That’s true. You have a house too, even if it’s only half.”
Even the black people themselves didn’t think a novel written by a black person would be successful. They thought that the best success a black person could achieve was to study engineering and get a job at the Crown Prince’s company. That would be a life as good as a white person’s, but literature? Not a single black person in the countless construction workers understood Isaac.
Seeing this, Isaac’s will became even stronger.
‘Tom said black people should study too.’
Tom Freeman, who was recently attending the Imperial University thanks to the Crown Prince’s grace, had an interview with a media outlet.
Some black people, even though they had earned the opportunity to learn through their participation in the war, kicked away the opportunity, thinking that studying was something only white people and mestizos did. Tom was telling them not to do that. Of course, studying engineering or science was also learning, but Tom’s words weren’t about that. ‘Don’t set your own limits.’ That was Tom’s message.
Isaac, being from a black family freed in Texas, knew the psychology of Mexican blacks better than Tom Freeman. They had actually set limits. Not only their own limits, but also their children’s limits. That’s why he wanted to choose a more difficult path.
In this way, the seeds of integration that the Crown Prince had sown through Tom were sprouting safely.