Chapter 702: Occupying California (two chapters in one)

With Mexico's entry, the battle at the U.S. border becomes more chaotic as the war's daily toll of injuries and deaths continues to climb.

But this is inevitable. It is simply impossible to defeat a powerful country without paying some casualties.

The good news is that as enemies of the United States, there are nearly 30 countries participating in the joint military, and the military they can contribute is simply not something that the United States can compete with.

Now it means that all countries do not want to use their full strength. Otherwise, the US government will never be able to survive for a few days.

The focus was once again on the attack of the Australasian army. After several days of serial bombing, 1, the Australasian army's landing campaign on the west coast of the United States officially began.

The landing on the west coast of the United States is divided into three directions. The northern army only has one infantry division. After landing in Oregon, it will successively control important cities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and then wait for the support of large forces.

The focus of the attack is on the central and southern directions.

The central direction is responsible for landing from San Francisco, all the way east, capturing Sacramento, the capital of California, and then controlling Nevada.

The southern army has only one purpose, and that is to take control of Los Angeles, the largest city on the west coast of the United States, as soon as possible, and to smoothly radiate to a wider area.

Arthur's emphasis on California can also be seen from the military deployment. Even now, California is definitely the essence of the West Coast of the United States, far more important than Washington and Oregon in the northwest.

All joking aside, Arthur could give up his offensive in Washington and Oregon for the sake of California.

However, I believe that the Americans do not have that many troops to mobilize. Under the condition of defending the Canadian and Mexican attacks, the troops that can be mobilized to the west coast are already very limited.

With the cooperation of the navy, the attack on the west coast of the United States went very smoothly. Since the U.S. Pacific Fleet was not found, Arthur focused all his attention on attacking the west coast states of the United States.

It can be seen from the reports on the front line that most of those resisting the Australasian army's attack are the National Guards of various states. The U.S. Army has a small number and its combat effectiveness is worrying.

In just three days, the Australasian army successfully landed in San Francisco and moved inland along the entire Bay Area.

The California National Guard had no resistance in front of the Australasian army. This was due to the double suppression of weapons and equipment and the combat effectiveness of individual soldiers.

The offense against Los Angeles didn't go as smoothly. After all, Los Angeles is the only city on the West Coast of the United States with a population of more than one million, and its population is even very close to 2 million. Looking at the world, it is definitely considered a megacity.

California's defense force in Los Angeles is very strong. I am afraid that except for the capital city of Sacramento, this is the area with the strongest defense force on the west coast of the United States.

There will be a question here, that is, Los Angeles is obviously the most populous city in California. Why is the capital of California hundreds of miles away in Sacramento?

In fact, this is also related to the development history of the West Coast of the United States.

As we all know, the land of North America only grew after being developed by the great powers. Before, it was considered sparsely populated and deserted.

In the United States, the eastern states were definitely the first to be developed, and the west has only grown in recent times.

Even some western states are still sparsely populated, and many areas are still small and remote cities even in the United States in later generations.

Why can California develop rapidly in a short period of time? In addition to the geographical advantage of being close to the West Coast, the gold rush that broke out in California was also an important reason.

This is very similar to Australia. ♞♢The reason why Australia's population was able to develop rapidly in the past was that the long gold rush attracted a large number of gold diggers.

Without these gold diggers, the populations of Australia and New Zealand would not be so large, and Arthur's development would not be so smooth.

The reason why San Francisco is called San Francisco is naturally because the large-scale gold mines discovered in this land caused the gold rush.

Sacramento is not far from San Francisco, and as a hub city in the center of California, it makes sense that it would be the capital.

Although Los Angeles is the most populous city in California, and even ranks first when looking at the entire west coast of the United States, the problem is that it is too close to the south, which is not conducive to the stability of the entire state of California.

And California’s capital is not stable. California's capital has changed several times in its short history.

Especially in the 13 years since 1844, the capital of California has moved from Monterey to San Jose, Valejo, Benicia and San Francisco, performing a multi-city show.

Even now, although the capital of California has been stabilized in Sacramento, there are still many voices in Los Angeles calling for the capital to be moved to the south.

As the largest city in California and even the entire West Coast of the United States, Los Angeles still has this confidence.

Although Los Angeles created a little bit of difficulty for the Australasian army, it was only a little bit in the end.

Even the U.S. Army cannot stop the coalition's attack, let alone the National Guard formed by each state.

The California Guard responsible for the defense in Los Angeles has about 10,000 people, and it is already at a numerical disadvantage.

The Australasian offensive force in California consisted of two infantry divisions and an artillery regiment, and their number was nearly four times that of the California Guard.

On August 17, the Australasian army successfully captured Los Angeles and implemented temporary military management of Los Angeles.

For ordinary Americans in Los Angeles, Australasia has no intention of oppression for the time being.

After all, there is a high probability that he will become the subjects of a few little guys in the future, and Arthur will not create difficulties for these little guys. After all, this is related to his own rule and life safety.

Not only did they not oppress the citizens of Los Angeles, but after the implementation of military management, they distributed food and provided jobs to some of the unemployed people in Los Angeles.

What exactly is the job? Of course, it was to help the Australasian army load, unload and transport supplies.

In addition to food and medical supplies, these supplies also include corresponding weapons and ammunition, which are provided to the frontline troops for combat.

It is worth mentioning that although they knew that these weapons and elixirs were used to attack their compatriots, the citizens of Los Angeles did not have any objections. Instead, they helped the Australasian army transport supplies with a smile on their faces.

This is actually quite normal. After all, immigrants in the United States still come from European countries, and there are actually very few pure Americans.

It can be seen from the names of various distinctive cities in California that this is a very Spanish-style area.

Historically, California once belonged to Mexico, and Mexico once belonged to Spain.

This also led to the fact that many citizens of Los Angeles were Spanish. They and the immigrants from the East Coast were already from two countries, and naturally they would not resent the Australasian army attacking them.

More importantly, neither the U.S. government nor the California government could provide them with enough jobs, but the Australasian troops who came from afar did.

The Australasian army also provided a small amount of free food to unemployed people who could not afford to eat. This approach was completely opposite to that of the US government.

Outsiders treat us better than our own people. Under such circumstances, even if there are people who approve of the government, how many people will not be disappointed?

This is actually a conspiracy of Australasia. But in the context of the U.S. economic crisis, this conspiracy is too easy to use.

No matter what the crisis is, food is definitely one of the most important things for humans.

Australasia provided only a small amount of food to the unemployed in Los Angeles, but it was better than the US government, which did nothing.

And as long as Americans working for the Australasian military can get more food distribution, isn't that more promising than continuing to stay in the United States?

Because of this temptation, not only are many Americans willing to work for the Australasian Army, but the order in Los Angeles is also better than before the Australasian Army arrived.

This situation made General Silvio very satisfied.

After all, compared to capturing the next city with a population of one million, how to defend and manage this city is the most important.

At present, Los Angeles is relatively stable, and the citizens of Los Angeles have not clashed with the Australasian army. This will be very helpful for Australasia's future layout in Los Angeles.

The offense is going strong in Los Angeles, and it's no different elsewhere.

To put it bluntly, whether it is the U.S. Army, the National Guard, or the various militias born due to the U.S. conscription system, their combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of the Australasian army.

The U.S. government's investment in the army is still too little. In addition to the number of soldiers falling far behind other major powers, the intensity of army training also lags far behind.

If nothing else, the amount of target shooting done by the soldiers of the Australasian Army in one week may be the amount of target shooting done by the US Army in half a year or even a year.

This is not an exaggeration. Taking advantage of its geographical location, the U.S. government historically invested very little in the Army before World War I.

If it weren't for the changes that World War I and World War II brought to the U.S. Army, and the fact that the United States really needed more armies after it became a world hegemon, it would be unclear how the United States would develop in history.

Before August was over, the Australasian army had successfully taken control of important California cities including San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles.

The army's offensive in the northern direction also went smoothly. However, there are no important cities in the northern states of Washington and Oregon. In addition to focusing on controlling the capital cities of these two states, there is no control and management of other cities.

This is the most normal. If all cities were to be managed, the Australasian army of 100,000 men would probably not be enough.

Arthur's purpose was also very simple. In addition to maintaining order in the cities he occupied, he also tried to cultivate Americans' goodwill towards Australasia.

If nothing else, this war cannot damage Americans' impression of Australasia. After all, these Americans may also become Australasia's allies in the future.

Of course, if the impression was to be really damaged, Arthur could only change his plan and implement more high-pressure management of the Americans in these areas.

But these Americans have their uses, and if they can be controlled, they must be controlled as much as possible.

The attack on the west coast of the United States went very smoothly, and the attack on Alaska was naturally no problem.

Although Alaska is the largest state in terms of area, it has the smallest population of any U.S. state.

Although the Australasian army only had one regiment to attack Alaska, the attack was very fast and captured Anchorage, the capital and largest city of Alaska, within a few days.

Alaska is worthy of its reputation as a land of ice and snow. As the region closest to the Arctic in the United States, Alaska's climate even makes Australasian troops feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the United States did not have many troops stationed in Alaska. With the cooperation of the Navy, Anchorage was quickly captured.

If a large-scale battle is launched here, the Australasian army may not be able to achieve a smooth offensive.

After capturing Anchorage, this infantry regiment was ordered to carry out militarized management in Anchorage.

As for other cities in Alaska, there is basically no need to control them and there is no need to waste troops.

Speaking of Alaska's population distribution, this is also a characteristic of all countries and regions close to the Arctic, that is, the population distribution is relatively concentrated.

Anchorage, the capital and largest city of Alaska, has a population of only tens of thousands.

Although tens of thousands of people may seem small, the population accounts for 47% of the entire state of Alaska.

What kind of exaggerated proportion is this?

Even Sydney and Melbourne, the most populous cities in Australasia, accounted for only about 30% of the total population of their administrative regions before they became independent administrative regions.

The 47% ratio means that after taking control of Anchorage, it basically determines that the Australasian army takes control of Alaska.

Why control Alaska?

Speaking of which, Australasia is located in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska is located in the northeastern corner of the Pacific Ocean. The two are separated by the entire Pacific Ocean.

The distance from Sydney to Anchorage has exceeded 20,000 kilometers. The current fleet sets off at full speed and takes almost a month to arrive.

Due to the geographical distance, it is very difficult for Australasia to control Alaska, and it also seems a bit unfair.

But Arthur understands how rich the mineral resources are in the underground of Alaska. Such an area that currently seems a bit useless is even more valuable than states such as Oregon and Washington in the western United States combined.

Geographically, Alaska is home to 17 of the 20 highest mountain ranges in the entire United States and also has the highest peak in the United States.

Most of the world's active glaciers are also located in Alaska, which is a great advantage for Australasian studies of Arctic and Arctic Ocean geography.

Secondly, California has a huge area of ​​1.71 million square kilometers. Although the climate is cold most of the time, the summer in the northern hemisphere is still relatively cool and suitable.

Of course, this is not too important. California is rich in mineral resources, with abundant reserves of zinc, lead, gold, silver and coal.

Although the next currency is not directly linked to gold, it is certain that the more gold you own, the more currency you can issue.

Alaska's rich gold and silver mines can make Australasia's currency stronger, and other mineral resources can also enrich Australasia's mineral system.

In addition to Alaska's mineral resources, Alaska's geographical location is also very important.

Owning Alaska would give Australasia greater control over the US states. In the future, when missile technology becomes more mature, it will also be able to effectively threaten various regions in North America and improve Australasia's global strategic system.

To put it bluntly, if new countries are established on the west coast of the United States in the future, these countries will be better controlled.

After all, the country established on the west coast of the United States in the future will be ruled by Arthur's son. How can Arthur not worry about his own son?

Deploying a certain amount of troops in Alaska will also make it easier for the Australasian army to respond quickly to any accidents that occur on the west coast of the United States in the future.

Australasia, Hawaii and Alaska can also form a horizontal line to help Australasia better control the Pacific Ocean.

With Hawaii and Alaska, Arthur can even proudly say that the Pacific Ocean is the inland sea of ​​Australasia.

After occupying Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California respectively, more than half of the Australasian strategy has been completed.

Fortunately, the Americans chose to focus their defense in the east, while the west had let it go. This also made the Australasian attack go very smoothly, and they did not even encounter strong resistance.

Especially after the fall of California, the most populous state in the western United States, it has become very easy to send troops to other states in the western United States.

The populations of the remaining combat missions, Idaho and Nevada, are not too large, and their defenses are destined not to be too strong.

This also means that Australasia has basically achieved its goal, and then it is waiting for Britain and France to capture their goals.

In fact, the British attack was not hasty or slow. After all, the British also understood that the main defense force of the United States at this time must be in the northeast.

But the French seemed much more eager. The land allocated to the French was basically in the southern United States, which was also the target of Mexico's attack.

If the French had not acted faster, Mexico might have captured Austin, the capital of Texas, before the French army arrived, and Texas would have been successfully annexed by Mexico.

However, Mexico does have territorial sovereignty over Texas. Mexico will definitely not be willing to spit out the meat it has swallowed, and another war will inevitably happen.

However, France's current situation obviously does not allow the French to start another war. Even a small-scale war with Mexico may worsen France's economic crisis.

The only way is to move quickly, capture important cities in Texas before Mexico annexes Texas, and then in turn demand the withdrawal of Mexican troops.

As long as Texas can be occupied before the Mexican army, unless the Mexican army is willing to go to war with France, it will have no choice but to bite the bullet and evacuate Texas.

At this time, even if the French knew in their hearts that the invasion of Mexico was the work of the British, they could only break their teeth and swallow it in their stomachs. There was nothing they could do about it.

After all, generally speaking, the British are not wrong in this matter. The United States has indeed offended the entire world by doing so. Can it still prevent other countries from declaring war on the United States?

The British could not dig the French in the same way. The United States has only two neighboring countries, Mexico has already taken action, and Canada is a British colony.

Except for France itself, there is no country in the coalition army that can compete with the British for territory.

Australasia does have this strength, but it is separated from the east coast of the United States by the entire United States.

If Australasia wants to seize territory on the east coast, it must occupy most of the United States from west to east. This is something that the British simply cannot let go.

No matter how good the relationship between Australasia and the British is, the British cannot wait for Australasia to occupy most of the United States.

This is also the reason why the British are not in a hurry at all, because there is no country on the east coast of the United States that can compete with the British for territory. The British can fight slowly and wait for the Americans to get tired in the offensive and defensive war.

1 Tens of thousands of French troops landed in Galveston and successively captured Houston and Woodland.

Even after conquering several cities in succession, the French army showed no intention of stopping and quickly moved in towards their destination, which was Austin, the capital of Texas.

Austin has been the capital of Texas for many years and was once the capital of the Lone Star Republic. Its importance to Texas is self-evident.

For the French, if they can quickly capture Austin and then take the opportunity to control San Antonio, Dallas and other areas near Austin, they will have basically controlled important cities in Texas.

In this way, France can take the opportunity to support the regime in Texas and drive away the Mexican army in the name of legitimacy.

As for areas in southern Texas, including Weslaco, Mansfield, and Cobos Christi, they can only be temporarily handed over to the Mexican army.

It is impossible for the French army to take care of so many areas. Compared with these small cities, the safest way is to capture important cities in Texas first.

The French are also proud of being a great power. The Mexican army can storm through Texas, let alone France as a great power.

By blocking the Mexican army from Texas, the French can better control Louisiana in the east and complete their planned strategic goals.

This is a 2-in-1 chapter of 6,000 words. Please vote for me and support me!

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