****
"Don't underestimate our guests, they aren't just guests!" Sheffield hinted ambiguously, indicating that the good days of Sheriff West were also reliant on these returnees.
"We've always been the masters here," Gail emphasized, following Sheffield's words. "Perhaps we'll meet often in the future, and our good days are just beginning."
"Our partners are naturally the same kind of people. They were once prominent figures in Louisiana and even the entire South. Although their time was long ago, they haven't been forgotten so quickly." Sheffield played the role of a mediator between the two groups, quickly making them comfortable with each other.
The two groups went from unfamiliar to familiar in no time, and Sheffield breathed a sigh of relief. This was a very good start. The Sheffield family could not manage all of the South, and logically speaking, no single family would have such power. But this wasn't why the Sheffield family was so eager to summon partners.
The real reason was that the United States needed financial inflows. Although Sheriff West was a figure who commanded respect among ordinary people, he could not fully grasp the situation the United States was facing. The difficulties the country was encountering were beyond the scope of a sheriff's knowledge.
In reality, in 1895, the GDP of the United States was on par with the United Kingdom, the "father" country. In this alternate history, the gap was slightly larger but still just a year or two behind—so small it was almost imperceptible in statistical terms.
It seemed like a bright future for the United States was right around the corner, but the closer they got, the more one could sense an invisible ceiling, with unseen barriers ahead. These obstacles were, of course, set by the current global hegemon, the British Empire, and some European powers.
To put it bluntly, this was the British Empire's version of containment and engagement policy. The world's leading power felt the need to take action as the United States, like an unbridled horse, became more and more uncontrollable, creating distance between itself and the British Empire.
Over a hundred years later, the United States would do the same to the Republic, and because the U.S. had experienced this history, its vigilance was much stronger. Unlike the British Empire, which only realized the parallelism between the U.S. and its own economy after some years, the United States set its threshold at 60%. Once this threshold was crossed, regardless of whether it was the Soviet Union or any other country, the U.S. would respond forcefully.
The Standard Oil company, now sweeping through the world's oil markets, could be compared to the Republic's industrial base over a century later. Even in its own backyard, the U.S. adopted the mentality of, "If you don't have powerful allies behind you, you'll be beaten into submission."
When considering actions against Latin American countries, one also had to see whether these countries had the support of old imperialist powers. Even today, Latin American nations, when facing the United States, would speak as if they had the British or French backing. It was much like how, a hundred years later, when the Japanese or Koreans opened their mouths, they would say, "Our father is the U.S.!"
The United States was not used to hearing such things. In 1895, the U.S. had to contend with countries whose "daddies" were the British or French. In negotiations, countries like Colombia or even Panama occasionally referred to what the British or French would say.
Even the construction of the Panama Canal had been a drawn-out battle for twenty years, and it looked set to continue. The difficulties faced were similar. The United States had to carefully navigate the handling of not only the small nations in its backyard but also the undercurrents of change within its own borders.
Sheffield held a copy of *The Chicago Daily News*, with the headline: "The Rothschild family owns a billion dollars in gold." In 1895, that was an astronomical figure, equivalent to half of the Chicago Wheat Futures Exchange's trading volume.
Since the end of last year, the U.S. Treasury had been facing a gold run. In October, the U.S. fiscal deficit surged to $13 million, while gold reserves dropped to $52 million. As the year progressed, the situation worsened—$26 million in gold flowed out of the U.S. and into foreign hands, and $45 million in gold was withdrawn from the Treasury to pay for paper currency. The Treasury's gold reserves were down to $40 million, and it was leaving the country at a rate of $2 million per day.
This situation had begun a few years ago, but it had accelerated since the second half of the previous year. Just before arriving in New Orleans, Sheffield had asked Old Madam, "Is the Rothschild family really that powerful?"
"Your grandfather always asked this question, and he did his homework. They are very powerful in Europe. However, they made a misjudgment about the United States' development and pulled out many of their operations during the Civil War. If they want to make a comeback, it's already a bit late. It's not as pervasive in the U.S. as some gossip newspapers would have you believe," Annabelle shrugged. "I can only say they want to come in, but they may not succeed."
"Those small newspapers just want attention. They often exaggerate. Your grandfather used to say, they're essentially just noise. They have no qualifications or channels to know about real matters. It's true the United States has caught the attention of the British, though."
"Grandmother, the United States has reached the point where we must make a decision. We need to choose between Britain and the U.S. We can't keep acting as the British Empire's spokesperson."
For a long time, the Sheffield family had styled themselves as spokespeople for the British Empire. This was partly because the Texas Legion had not been destroyed after the Civil War, and Texas had been under military rule for a long time, unlike the rest of the South. Another reason was the use of Britain to threaten the Union, which helped preserve the Lone Star Republic's special status. It wasn't strange to see no U.S. flags in Texas, but the flag of the Lone Star Republic always flew high.
At certain points in later history, some factions within the Republic also acted as such spokespeople, but these were not nations without ambition. These roles couldn't last long. As the U.S. grew, it had to shed this identity.
"Do what you want. Even if you want to squander the family fortune, our family is not easy to defeat," Annabelle casually advised before she left. "Things are changing, and we don't have to follow Britain step by step."
Starting in New Orleans, Sheffield momentarily forgot about Arlington and continued his hosting duties. He made sure the returnees got familiar with their surroundings, and before long, time passed.
By the seaside, Gail hesitated before speaking, "William, you should have expected this. We've been in Brazil for a long time, and it's not just about staying in touch with the families we originally immigrated with. Many Brazilian plantation owners have good relationships with us, and we've received telegrams in the past few days. Some of the former Brazilian plantation owners are considering relocating."
"Mm?" Sheffield furrowed his brow, a bit troubled. "You all are fine, you're partners, but these Brazilian plantation owners may have issues with the language and customs here. We can talk, and I believe you're patriotic."
"They can negotiate, and they can be patriotic," Gail interrupted immediately. "They're plantation owners, so there's no problem."
"I need to contact the family and ask grandmother's opinion," Sheffield pondered for a moment, not outright rejecting the idea. He mulled over Gail's words, feeling there wasn't much of a problem. *I can talk negotiate, I can be patriotic. What's the issue?*
(End of Chapter)