Chapter 138
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The United States' Clever Ploy (2)
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Washington D.C., the capital of the United States.
Unlike his time as a member of the House of Representatives, John Rutherford, the acting governor of Virginia, now found himself being summoned, and he truly felt as though he had returned from the dead.
When he first heard that the slave catchers sent from Virginia had been shot and killed in Canada, he had thought there must be some mistake.
But then the British Empire went into a frenzy demanding an immediate explanation, and Congress tore into him as if they wanted him dead. It was no exaggeration to say that every single day had been a living nightmare.
To begin with, he was merely the interim acting governor, a man who would have to step down at the end of the year.
He had only given the slave catchers a paltry sum to appease the incessantly complaining plantation owners—it was nothing more than a perfunctory administrative gesture.
But how could he have known they would commit such a mad act, crossing into Canada and opening fire on a perfectly normal pioneer village?
And to top it all off, the Queen of the British Empire had been scheduled to visit a nearby city, and she was currently pregnant?
It was beyond absurd; frankly, it was terrifying.
What if a war broke out, and what if the cause of that war was traced back to this preposterous incident?
Beyond the certainty that he would never be able to set foot in politics again, the situation itself was simply frightening.
When he received the President's urgent summons to the White House, it felt like a death sentence.
Would he be forced to bear all the responsibility, go before the British Queen, and beg for forgiveness on his knees?
If that could end this whole affair, he would be willing, but the problem was that the situation had already escalated far beyond such a simple resolution.
The true problem was that the root of all this lay in escaped slaves and the excessive actions of the hunters trying to capture them.
The North cited the South's immorality as the fundamental cause, while the South pointed to the North's hypocrisy and applied pressure, insisting he must not apologize.
In other words, a strange notion had begun to spread: an apology here would be tantamount to the South kneeling before the North.
How had he ended up at the forefront of such a foolish battle of pride?
What if the President, who leaned toward the South, told him to push back even harder?
But such worries vanished the moment he heard the President's plan.
"...Pardon? Are you suggesting we make this all Mexico's doing?"
"You've understood correctly."
"...But Mexico has nothing to do with this incident..."
"If they have nothing to do with it, we simply make them involved. It's a national waste for the North and South to be divided and fighting over such a trivial matter. As the President of this nation, I have a duty to mediate this conflict."
"So you mean to say we should pin everything on Mexico."
He understood the intention, but he wondered if it was truly possible.
However, as he listened to the President's ensuing explanation, it somehow didn't sound entirely implausible.
"Mexico is currently in a constant territorial dispute with us over Texas. However, Texas clearly wishes to join us. They feel seriously threatened by this trend. The method they devised was to create a conflict between the British Empire and the United States, thereby diverting our attention from them."
"The pretext itself seems plausible."
"So now, Virginia just needs to produce the appropriate evidence. Those slave catchers who crawled all the way to Canada were, in fact, secretly paid by the Mexicans. They deliberately attacked Canada to escalate the conflict between Canada and the United States. They were killed in the process when they met an unexpected counterattack."
"The Mexicans will surely protest their innocence. How should we refute them?"
"As long as the evidence is solid, we can just push forward with that. Therefore, create definitive proof that the slave catchers received bribes from Mexico."
If there was no evidence, they just had to create it.
For a moment, Rutherford wondered if this simple solution was truly acceptable, but he quickly decided it was far better than shouldering all the blame himself.
Speaking frankly, if public opinion remained divided, the North and South could very well split apart. Could such a thing be allowed to happen?
If they could overcome this national crisis by sacrificing those Mexicans, perhaps it would even be for the best.
And if, in the process, they could also acquire Texas, where a dispute was already raging...
"Your Excellency. I agree, this seems to be the only way."
"Hahaha, I'm glad you understand. So, can you create the evidence?"
"I will start by hiring handwriting experts to meticulously forge the traces."
"And we'll need to use our people in Mexico to create falsified ledgers that make it look as though money was actually exchanged. That alone should be enough to pin everything on them."
"Understood!"
He had just come back from the brink of death; what did he care if those bastards in Mexico died from the injustice of it all?
As soon as his meeting with the President concluded, Rutherford began the work of "generating" materials to prove that this entire affair was Mexico's machination.
Simultaneously, pro-government media outlets gleefully reported this entertaining conspiracy theory, launching a unified attack on Mexico.
[Shocking! Mexico's Divisive Tactics Go Too Far!]
[Is Mexico Afraid of the United States' Growth?]
[The Annihilated Slave Catchers, the Hounds: Why Did They Cross the Canadian Border?]
It is fundamental to human nature to prefer blaming others rather than engaging in self-reflection.
When it came to matters on a national scale, this was even more pronounced.
The citizens of the United States already held no great affection for Mexico.
With constant conflicts over territory, which at times escalated to gunfire, it would have been stranger if relations were amicable.
This tendency was even stronger among those living closer to the West.
In this climate, the rumor that Mexico was attempting to drive a wedge between the United States and the British Empire to secure its own interests was tremendously effective.
Hearing that an already detested nation was now plotting such a vile conspiracy, the people, as if they had been waiting for this moment, began to curse Mexico and demand a government response.
The power of perception was just that terrifying.
However, even amidst this tide of collective madness, there were still those who maintained their composure.
"Mexico? Why Mexico, all of a sudden! This looks like nothing more than a flimsy lie to evade the situation!"
Abraham Lincoln, a young Whig politician who had made a grand entrance in this year's House elections.
He vehemently protested, arguing that solving the problem in such a despicable manner would only tarnish the prestige of the United States in the long run, and he demanded an explanation from the President.
"If this is all Mexico's conspiracy, then please submit the corresponding evidence! Acting Governor Rutherford, can you confidently affirm that this is all part of a Mexican plot?"
"The investigation has revealed evidence that leaves us no other choice but to see it that way. We have already submitted all the evidence to Congress."
"But isn't this so-called evidence incredibly flimsy? What is this?"
Lincoln raised his voice, roughly flapping a bundle of documents.
"It's presumed they received money, but the only proof you have are these few letters."
"It's not just the letters. The investigation into the financial transactions is also nearly complete."
"But isn't that ultimately a one-sided claim? What about cross-checking?"
"We can't, even if we wanted to. All the slave catchers who entered Canada are dead. How are we supposed to confirm anything?"
The dead tell no tales.
Therefore, no matter how much was fabricated, no one was left to protest the injustice.
And no matter how much Mexico claimed it was unfair, it could simply be dismissed, just as a criminal might deny their guilt to the very end.
"The public mood is shifting toward punishing Mexico for committing such an act. But do you truly believe it is a rational choice to speak of war based on this level of evidence?"
"The decision to go to war is not for me to discuss. I have merely informed you that a thorough investigation indicates a high probability that Mexico is involved in this affair."
Lincoln shook his head and sighed in disbelief, but not many in Congress sympathized with him.
This was because many of the Northern congressmen, who had intended to use this incident as an opportunity to pressure the South, had changed their course to one of beating up Mexico first.
A politician, after all, must manage their public image by addressing the issues their constituents are most interested in.
Right now, what the citizens of the United States wanted most was to strike Mexico, and the members of Congress were more than willing to faithfully oblige.
If this were an unreasonable war, it might be a different story, but with a clear pretext and abundant spoils to be won, what reason was there to refuse?
A single young congressman named Lincoln, acting out on a paltry sense of justice, could not possibly reverse this tide.
"His Excellency the President has stated that we will first request an explanation from Mexico, and if their explanation is not convincing, then appropriate measures must be taken."
"No, but that explanation is..."
"Now, now, Congressman Lincoln. Let's cool our heads and think about this calmly. Why should we get red in the face fighting among ourselves over something like this?"
"That's right. The natural course of action is to first appease the wrath of the British Empire, then find and punish the true mastermind who orchestrated this."
"Natural course? This could become the most shameful war in the history of the United States!"
"In any case, we will be voting on it soon, so let us speak with our votes instead of raising our voices. The outcome of the vote will reflect our public opinion."
The issue of slavery was important, but even more important was the territorial expansion of America—its Manifest Destiny.
They had been given a golden opportunity to expand westward. If they missed this chance, the opportunity to acquire Texas might not come again for a very long time.
If Mexico were a formidable enemy, it would be a different matter, but a country of Mexico's caliber couldn't even wage a proper war against the United States.
In the minds of the United States' leadership, the Stars and Stripes was already fluttering triumphantly as it devoured the pathetic territory of Mexico.
***
At the same time.
Kingston, the temporary capital of Canada.
"Ambassador."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I find myself at a loss as to how I should interpret this."
The letter of apology brought by the American Ambassador, Edward Everett, exceeded my expectations in a delightful way.
No, I had expected them to simply bow their heads and beg for forgiveness, but they were throwing a curveball instead?
I had considered it a mere twenty percent possibility, but now that it was actually happening, I couldn't help but find it both absurd and amusing.
"We are, of course, aware of Your Highness's bewilderment. I must reiterate that we are by no means attempting to evade responsibility. The concern we have caused Your Highness and Her Majesty the Queen is inexcusably our fault. We should have paid closer attention and controlled our border, but we failed. For this, I apologize once more."
Everett bowed his head politely.
Watching his gaze, so filled with remorse he looked as though he might shed tears, I found myself thinking that diplomats must be born with a talent for acting.
"This high probability that Mexico is behind it—is that a confirmed fact, or a deduction?"
"As far as I am aware, it is a confirmed fact that Mexico funneled money to those slave catchers."
"I see. It seems Mexico is a rather fearsome nation, to have infiltrated the United States so deeply and orchestrated such a sinister plot."
"They have long been illegally occupying our land while insisting it is theirs. I suspect they have resorted to such measures to buy time after we demanded its return."
"...Mexico has been illegally occupying the territory of the United States?"
Could they possibly be referring to Texas in such a way?
At this point, I was beginning to wonder whether they were just spouting nonsense, assuming I was ignorant, or if they genuinely believed what they were saying.
"Yes. A resolution condemning Mexico has likely passed Congress by now. His Excellency the President has declared that he will not let this matter rest, so we will be sure to exact a price for this incident."
"That sounds as though you would not shy away from war. Have I understood you correctly?"
"If Mexico fails to offer a proper apology, that may well be the case. Your Highness was greatly startled, I am sure, but one can only imagine how anxious Her Majesty the Queen must have been. Especially when she is not alone, but with the one who may become the heir to the British Empire."
"When this news reaches home, there will be immense outrage. The news has likely arrived by now; I wonder what the reaction in Parliament will be."
"We understand that sentiment completely, of course. Which is why I am saying this..."
Everett carefully retrieved a letter from his coat, placed it gently on the table, and slid it toward me.
"It is a letter from His Excellency to Your Highness."
"From the President?"
It would undoubtedly be filled with lengthy excuses and apologies, but since he had gone to the trouble of writing it, I supposed I ought to read it.
I scanned it quickly. As expected, the beginning was filled with apologies, promises to strictly control the border in the future, and declarations that this was all the fault of those dastardly Mexicans.
However, the content that followed was something I could never have imagined they would propose.
"So..."
I closed the letter and asked with a hollow laugh.
"Are you proposing we use this opportunity to attack Mexico together?"
So this was their intention: since this war was being waged on fabricated evidence, they didn't want to be the only ones wallowing in the mire, and sought to create an accomplice.
Seeing Everett's faint, subtle nod, I barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter.
I had anticipated they would find some way to pick a fight with Mexico, much like the Mexican-American War of the original history, but to extend a hand to us at this very juncture?
Well, that was quite something. And it was precisely the outcome Victoria and I had hoped for.
As expected of the descendants of our British Empire. To think our lines of reasoning could be so similar.
How very thoughtful of them.