Opinion

All industries of the Morgan Consortium in the West were fully acquired by Van der Linde.

Ms. Camille continued to serve as CEO. Although her share of the money decreased and her status was lowered, she was not turned into a slave and sent to the mines for re-education, which was already very good.

At the same time, Ms. Dorothea and other Saint Denis dignitaries were all sent to the mines for re-education.

The Great Western Development continued. Mr. Van der Linde was stationed at Hope Ranch in Valentine. Telephone lines and telegraph machines had been fully laid, and he would now fully direct the progress of the entire line.

Morning of December 13, Winter 1900.

The United States Provisional Government issued a conscription announcement, conducting large-scale conscription across the United States.

Meanwhile, the navies of the three imperialist countries—the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire—had gathered in the high seas outside the United States' maritime borders.

They did not rashly enter United States waters but also did not leave; they just stayed in the sea, like hyenas waiting for their prey to die before beginning to feed.

This also prevented Mr. Van der Linde from acting immediately.

After all, the large state he was in had no coastline, only Flatiron Lake, so he could not reach the fleets of these countries.

However, various ultra-long-range cannons, such as Venetian cannons, had already been set up on the shores of Flatiron Lake.

Although aircraft had not yet been deployed, Tanks had already begun to be secretly transported by rail.

The Van der Linde army had also begun to recruit heavily, stockpile food and supplies, and prepare for the upcoming battle.

As war approached, everyone should, in theory, be panicked and helpless.

It might even cause social unrest.

But in the West, it was completely different.

Workers in all factories, mines, and various institutions under Mr. Van der Linde were working with great enthusiasm.

Female workers shouted slogans that shook the heavens every day.

"Women hold up half the sky!"

"Fight tenaciously, persevere relentlessly, until final victory!"

"Down with imperialism, build a harmonious homeland!"

Various inspiring slogans were hung on the streets, waving alongside the black and white flag of the VDL Party.

Mr. Van der Linde's Red Book teachings were very effective. At the very least, the people of the West now knew that they were fighting for themselves, and they were fighting for their descendants.

This battle, which was closely related to themselves, filled their hearts with fanaticism and burning fire.

This situation is extremely rare in history, especially in these European and American countries.

In the great Eastern nation, dragon-slayers have emerged endlessly over five thousand years of history.

Yet in these European countries, looking at their history, there has not been a single power struggle from ancient times to the present that was initiated by the common people.

Even if there were civilian riots.

Their demands after civilian riots were not to ascend to the throne, but merely to have better treatment.

As soon as the King agreed, the riot ended.

This is truly hard to bear.

Therefore, what Dutch is currently doing is unprecedented in Europe and America.

Because of this, the Washington Daily specifically published an article boycotting Mr. Dutch Van der Linde.

The article also quoted rhetoric from the East: "What Dutch Van der Linde has done is the first of its kind in the United States and the entire Western world!"

As soon as this newspaper was published, it caused an uproar in the American literary world.

Countless American literary masters stood up and wrote various articles slandering Dutch.

They vehemently criticized Dutch Van der Linde, claiming he ostensibly sought welfare for the people but was, in fact, a traitor!

His actions would completely disrupt the stable environment of the United States and set the United States back fifty years!

Some also attacked Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's past as an outlaw, calling it "the terrifying crime of a mere outlaw usurping the nation."

The pens and paper of the West were in Dutch's hands, so the West was thriving every day.

However, the pens and paper of the East were in the hands of the Eastern government and capital, so a trend of slandering Mr. Dutch Van der Linde swept across the world, mighty and unstoppable.

At first, the attacks by these literati still had some connection to Mr. Van der Linde, but later they completely devolved into fabrication.

For example, one article wrote, 'Dutch Van der Linde is a pedophile; in the past, children from Western families had to be sent to Mr. Van der Linde's room before they could obtain Western citizenship.'

Another article, for example, wrote, 'Dutch Van der Linde is a homosexual; in the past, men in the West were so ruined by him they couldn't get out of bed, and women were ruined by his subordinates and became pregnant with other men's children.'

There were also articles that wrote, 'Dutch Van der Linde is a psychologically twisted politician who rudely demanded that people in the West castrate themselves to protect the safety of sows.'

In short, the entire East was caught in rumors about Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, which caused many people who originally wanted to go to the West to join Mr. Van der Linde to stop their plans.

When a lie is told a thousand times, it becomes the truth.

This is Goebbels' famous quote, and it is also the work being carried out in the American East.

In addition, they manipulated newspapers to publish every two days: 'Western workers' wages have dropped by half, and housing subsidies have been canceled.'

Or 'Dutch Van der Linde is suspected of having an economic crisis, and Western residents have not received any wages for two months.'

'Shocking, Western Purgatory! Dutch Van der Linde ordered his subordinates to beat and torture Western residents, forcing them to use deceptive methods such as high salaries and good benefits to trick their relatives into entering the West. Please, citizens, distinguish strictly; once you go to the West, you will be controlled and completely become slaves to be arbitrarily slaughtered!' and other rumors that could genuinely deceive the people of the East.

Not to mention this era of closed information, even in modern times, people can easily be deceived by online information.

So, under various seemingly well-reasoned newspaper reports, Dutch Van der Linde was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the people of the West had begun to suffer from famine. Soldiers couldn't even get paid, and could only eat one meal of black bread a day...

The consequences of this public opinion offensive were indeed extremely serious. Countless people who originally wanted to go to the West stopped in their tracks. The restless soldiers of the United States Federal Government also halted their clamor and preparations to revolt and head to the West, half-believing the rumors.

Whether it's war or development, population is paramount. If public opinion is allowed to run wild like this, and eventually no one goes to the West, then it clearly goes against Mr. Van der Linde's interests and would also deprive the already sparsely populated West of its sustainable combat capability.

Mr. Van der Linde did not respond to these public opinion attacks.

However, Signor Bronte, the mafia boss in Washington, became increasingly arrogant, daily engaging in bullying men and women, gang fights, or large-scale opium dumping.

He plunged Washington into complete disorder. Washington had just been attacked, and the government system was almost paralyzed, so no one had time to deal with him at this moment.

This also made the people of Washington miserable.

What's the difference between living in this damn Washington and living in the hellish West?

People with some savings moved their entire families, one by one, wanting to relocate to other states to live.

And with their departure, Washington's public welfare withered even further, giving it a sense of decline.

Public opinion attacks are always minor.

For someone like Dutch Van der Linde, public opinion cannot kill him, nor can it cause any harm to the American West.

Therefore, conscription in the east was in full swing, with three consecutive pay raises, from fifty cents a day to seventy-five cents a day. In just three days, one hundred thousand people were recruited, determined to fight Dutch Van der Linde to the death.

On the afternoon of December 13, 1900.

The United States Capitol collapsed, and President McKinley was left semi-paralyzed.

This incident directly disrupted the internal stability of America.

The existing vacancies in various official positions had already made the operation of the United States Congress extremely difficult, relying entirely on Mr. President to lead, but now Mr. President was half-dead from the collapse, and there was no one to lead.

The one hundred thousand American soldiers who had just been recruited could not be managed, and the plans for war logistical reserves, which had not yet been finalized, were also put on hold.

Even the defensive forces of America were left unmanaged; the heads of major military regions could only restrain their soldiers from moving, awaiting news from the United States Congress.

Is the president important?

Important. He is there to bear the brunt of things; only when the president approves any policy or strategy can subordinates confidently implement it.

And this is under the condition that Congress is sound.

Now Congress is not sound, and the president is gone. Not only is there no one to offer ideas, but there is also no one to bear the responsibility.

The various departments below cannot get orders from above, and their individual powers are too singular, making it impossible for them to coordinate and manage other departments, and other departments are unwilling to be led by other departments.

This led to the direct shutdown of the American political system. Better departments are still maintaining their respective duties, while worse departments are even looking despondent, on the verge of disbanding.

And with the current president, the only one in charge of America, meeting with disaster, the fleets of various countries surrounding the public seas immediately smelled blood like sharks.

December 28, 1900.

The British Royal Navy, with a massive fleet of one hundred and fifty ships carrying twenty thousand soldiers, entered Washington.

The Royal Navy occupied the entire Washington street within a day, and all United States Federal Government officials who had not escaped were taken back to the repaired United States Capitol.

For countries around the world, this was an incredibly rare opportunity.

Regardless of whether America was Britain's son, regardless of whether they were previous allies, in short, there was real profit to be made now!

These Americans played themselves into collapse!

If not now, then when?

December 30, 1900.

As the British fleet was the first to enter America, the French Empire fleet followed closely, circling around and arriving in Delaware, America.

They claimed to be temporarily helping America manage coastal ports.

In reality, they led their army to fully take over local security in Delaware, simultaneously entering the Delaware government, and then, for one million dollars, purchased fifty years of usage rights, garrison rights, and construction rights in Delaware.

This era was not modern; France at this time was still a proper imperialist power, and it was also a super empire boasting a standing army of millions.

So, it occupied American territory for no reason, and within this internally chaotic America, no one had any objections. Even the American people of Delaware themselves were very happy.

'Hey, we've struck it rich, family! Now we are noble Europeans!'

The forceful landing of the British-French Allied Forces almost caused a huge uproar internationally.

No country could have imagined that the United States of America would be so vulnerable, not even putting up any resistance, tacitly allowing the British-French Allied Forces to plunder freely on their territory.

Of course, the fundamental reason was that the United States Government was currently in a state of paralysis.

In addition, some states had already developed ideas of independence.

In summary, whether it was the various countries around the world, the state governments within America, or the individuals truly holding some power within America, all were currently observing.

They were observing the reaction of the United States Government and the reaction of Mr. Dutch Van der Linde, who had initiated this series of disputes.

If the various states in America were currently in a state of armed partition similar to that of the Republic of China, then Dutch Van der Linde, who occupied five major western states, was undoubtedly the largest armed regime among them.

Everyone needed to see what kind of reaction this regime would make before they would truly start placing their bets.

Compared to the British, who forcibly leased land and indirectly colonized, the Russian Empire was a bit more overbearing.

January 3, 1901.

Britain and the United States of America jointly issued an agreement.

Britain would begin to serve as a protectorate of the United States of America starting January 5, 1901. It would militarily protect American security until the United States Federal Government regained its governing capacity...

Less than six hours after this agreement was released.

The Russian Empire naval fleet on the high seas engaged in a firefight with the American forces stationed overseas.

This battle was very small-scale, with only two warships and over three hundred soldiers participating from both sides.

After suffering twelve casualties, the American Navy was forced to surrender without subsequent support.

Subsequently, the Russian Empire entered Washington State that night. (Washington State is not the same place as Washington City or Washington D.C.; the capital is in Washington D.C., with one being the easternmost and the other the westernmost.)

Washington State is a typical agricultural state, or to be more precise, it is typically the American West.

Although its coastal location means it has large cities similar to Saint Denis, outside of the cities, it is also rife with gangs and organized crime, much like Lemoyne.

The only difference is that Washington State's forces can still be deployed, unlike Lemoyne, where Dutch's night raid ended without even needing to use soldiers.

As the Russian Empire naval fleet sailed into Washington waters, relations between the two sides instantly became extremely tense.

While the British were troublemakers, they had clear objectives.

"I'm here to do business, to open colonies or free ports for my business." So their goals were extremely clear; they would avoid conflict if possible. They purely wanted to do business and make money.

But the Russian Empire was different; these people were not only overbearing but also inhumane.

Yes, they were inhumane. Compared to the Tsar, even Seele would show some humanity.

January 4, 1901.

The semi-paralyzed President McKinley resigned from his presidential position. That afternoon, in Ohio, in the central United States, Theodore Roosevelt announced the establishment of the new United States Federal Government in Ohio.

That night, the Russian fleet shelled the coastal areas of Washington State.

Warship cannons continuously bombarded for an entire night, indiscriminately attacking all accessible areas.

At the same time, special assault teams took advantage of the night to cross the coastline in small speedboats and enter Washington State.

That night, all five thousand-plus Washington State self-defense forces were deployed to the coastline, engaging in fierce clashes with the overwhelmingly powerful Russian fleet.

Although they prevented the landing of the Russian Empire fleet, the heavy casualties and massive chaos still shocked the world.

January 5, 1901.

This night attack had already made headlines in major American daily newspapers.

Countless American people were panicked by this, even shouting that America would fall.

Before the newly formed United States Federal Government had even issued a hostile statement or strong condemnation,

The Great King of the American West, Dutch Van der Linde, spoke out on various media outlets.

"The American West states will militarily counter the Russian Empire's armed aggression! No American citizen shall be deprived of life by any other country for any reason or by any means!

The land of America belongs to the American people, and no other country is allowed to occupy it at will!

Henceforth, Mr. Dutch Van der Linde declared: Effective immediately, the Van der Linde Government officially declares war on the British Empire, declares war on the French Empire, and declares war on the Russian Empire!"

Accompanying the declaration were Mr. Van der Linde's fifty thousand Van der Linde's Guard.